The Minnesota Student Association will present their own agenda of things to do when the legislative session begins Tuesday.
MSA has made a list of more than 15 issues and initiatives they would like to see resolved this quarter. While many of the initiatives are carrying over from last quarter, MSA President Jigar Madia said some are fresh ideas resulting from research done by the association.
The new initiatives include:
ù Revising the Student Transportation Advocacy Committee, which is intended to represent the student body in such issues as parking and public transportation. The committee was originally formed last quarter to review the fledgling U Pass Project, which would have allowed students to ride any Metro Transit bus during the quarter for $20 to $30.
However, the committee has now assumed the role of student advocacy over transportation and parking in general.
ù Student input in the renovation of Coffman Memorial Union and the building of a new residence hall. The Coffman Memorial Union Board of Directors is currently putting together a fees request for the renovation, slated to begin next year.
“Student representation is vital,” said CLA senator Britta Ylikopsa.
ù Plans to throw its support behind the drive for a proposed Asian-American studies program.
Jill Sanders, head of the Asian-American Cultural Association, said that the group is currently in the process of garnering support for the program from professors and graduate students throughout the University.
ù A program called “Pack the Rink for Women’s Hockey,” in which MSA would buy a block of tickets for a women’s hockey game and then give them out free to students.
ù Establishing more 24-hour computer labs throughout the University. Currently, Lind Hall is the only all-night lab open to all students. The Institute of Technology has an another 24-hour lab, but it’s only open to IT students.
ù A study of the student advising structure, including the ratio between students and advisors. The association also wants to determine whether advisors concentrate primarily on academics or career options.
Another proposal is a student “bill of rights,” outlining what the students expect of the advisors, and what services the advisors will provide
The association plans to look into the benefits reaped by students by the changeover to Aramark Corp. vending, a privately owned company, from public vending.
They also plan to publish a Student Community Book, which will focus on the University experience from the perspective of the students.
“This is a tangible look at what we represent: the student population of the University,” said Kjersten Reich, student life committee chairwoman.