Union Finishes Guest Policy Proposal

Student Union President Zachary Coseglia said last night the Guest Policy committee has finished its proposal. Coseglia said he plans to meet with President Jon Westling on Thursday to discuss the proposed changes.

Speaking at the Senate’s weekly meeting, Coseglia said Provost Dennis Berkey, Student Activities Office Director Carolyn Norris and Union Executive Board members have already viewed the proposal. Coseglia said he wanted to let people know that the proposal was going to be read by the BU administration.

“It’s not been done in vain,” Coseglia said. “It’s not like we just did this proposal and we’re going to sit around and show it to our friends.”

Coseglia said he plans to report back to the Senate next Monday on the progress made through the meeting with Westling.

In other business, Laurie Steinberg announced she is working with the Boston Red Sox in planning BU Night at Fenway Park, where tickets would go for between $9 and $15. Steinberg said they are hoping to buy between 800 and 1,000 tickets in either the right field grandstand or bleachers. The Dear Abbeys are slated to perform the national anthem.

Also last night, the Student Union entertained three funding requests, including the Filipino Students’ Association, Bacchanalia and the BU Choral Society, a funding request tabled from last week.

The Senate voted to fund the Choral Society $420 as the group lowered its requested amount from last week.

Choral Society Treasurer and Senate member Tiffany Caufield, a School of Education sophomore, said the parents of the group donated $240 more, and the Tsai Performance Center rental fee would be $350 less than expected. She requested $420 to finish the funding of its program.

Caufield tried to answer the questions last week regarding how many people would be attracted to the event.

“First of all, we said our target audience was 350 people. That’s incorrect,” Caufield said. “Our target audience is a million people — if we can stack people on top of each other in the Tsai center, we would. Our projected audience is 350 people.”

Caufield did not leave the Senate chamber during discussion, but offered to leave if her presence made senators uncomfortable. Caufield remained during the vote, with 30 senators voting for the allocation, zero against, and two, including Caufield, abstaining.

The Filipino Students’ Association requested $300 to help finance its multicultural show, “ISA: The World Is One.” However, the Financial Review Board recommended the FSA receive no funding, because their accounts were already well supplied and they had received $1,000 from SUAB earlier in the year.

Ryan Puzycki, a member of the financial board, said because the account currently had about $4,000 and would make approximately $3,500 from ticket sales, the FRB saw no reason to allocate money to the group.

“ISA program is a commendable cause that promotes unity and multiculturalism across campus,” Puzycki said. “But last year, it made $3,500 off of ticket sales.”

The Senate passed the resolution to deny funding to the FSA with 22 senators approving the denial, four opposing it and six abstaining.

In the final funding request of the night, the Bacchanalia organization received $750 from the Union after the FRB recommended the Senate allocate only $500. The group asked for $1,000 from the Senate.

The Senate voted to approve $750 to Bacchanalia with little debate, as the motion passed with 18 senators approving the allocation, eight opposing it, and six abstaining from the vote.

Finally, Senate Chairwoman Kirsten Lundeen announced the resignation of Shelton Hall Senator Andrew Hagopian, who cited “personal reasons” in the abdication of his seat. The Tribunal swore in two more senators: Shahe Wartanian, a sophomore representing the College of Arts and Sciences, and Olga Romanova, a CAS freshman representing Warren Towers.

Senate seats are still vacant in Myles Standish Hall and Shelton Hall, Student Union Election Commission Chair John Macom said.