Brenda Tavakoli
Staff Writer
In a flurry of activity, the Students' Association elected a new speaker and speaker pro tempore and passed the administration's first bill Wednesday. Nathan Wittman, 34th speaker administration, passed the gavel to Sen. Joe Soto.
"It's been fun. It has been good to serve the students in this capacity," Wittman said.
Soto vied against two other candidates for the position. His opponents were Sens. Justin Ray and Charles Boyd.
Boyd promised a strong commitment to student involvement and pledged to introduce valuable legislation during his term.
The Senate also elected its speaker pro tempore. Nominees were Mandy Erenwert, Charles Boyd and Justin Ray. Erenwert declined the nomination, and Ray won the election.
After the election, the senate began discussing legislation introduced by Boyd. University Bill 35-001 was passed. If approved by UH President/UH System Chancellor Arthur K. Smith, it would keep a cap on student service fees doled out by the Students Fees Allocation Committee at 35 percent. This means that no one UH department or organization can receive more than 35 percent of student fees in one fiscal year. Currently, the athletic department garners 35 percent of student service fees. The cap was enacted in 1988 by SA and expires in December 1999. The bill would extend that cap through summer 2004.
The election left senate position at-large number one open. Also open is a senate position for the College of Optometry. Students interested in the positions can contact SA at (713) 743-5225.