STUDENT CON6RESS "In general, students do not go to their representatives with concerns," says Dave Vander Wei, Dean of Student Affairs. Instead, the Congress deals with problems that come to the attention of Student Congress members by setting up individual task forces. The competition for representation is rather mild, with the geographic exception of the frat house area. The frats typically put up a whole slate of candidates to fill just a few positions. Says Vander Wei, "Frats feel the most pressure to elect someone well qualified because they have many interests to protect." In many respects, the Student Congress had a typical year. Once again, officers were elected in the spring of 79. The officers for 78-79 were Dave Leenhoets, Brad Bmgel and Jon Schmidt as president, first vice-president and second vice-president, respectively. Representatives were elected in the month of September from the general living areas. Congress members sit on the major boards of the College including the Campus Life Board, the Administrative Affairs Board and the Academic Affairs Board. The Student Congress meets every week and they work with an agenda set by the president and his cabinet officers. In the area of appropriations, activity was rather quiet, probably for the reason that students know little of its
existence. The student appropriations committee, chaired by Jon Schmidt, financed such student requests as the Stratford trip, an Ultimate Frisbee team, student attendance to certain media conventions, the leadership workshop at Marigold Lodge and some miscellaneous small requests. The committee also appropriates funds for student organizational budgets. Any surplus in these budgets is carried over to the next year. Presently, there is about a $1015,000 on hand in what is termed a "contingency fund." The appropriations of funds is determined by the worth of the requests submitted. Says Vander Wei, "It helps to be new and creative in addition to asking for funds for a project that is in the interest of the student body at large." In other Student Congress activity, Jon Schmidt got behind a drive to restore the pinball machines to the basement of the De Witt Cultural Center, but efforts were defeated. A project that the Student Congress was forced to deal with that was not so typical was the Phelp s Hall Fund Raising Drive. SAGA proposed to give $50,000 to the project drive and match any amount of money the Student Congress could come up with. Vander Wei says that the Congress was not really interested in the project and consequently raised only $3,000.
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FRONT ROW (from left to right) J Schmidt D, Leenhoets, D, Walker, S E C O N D ROW: P. Vander Haar, M Vander Molen, C. Cellura. M. Paine, T loif J. J Sanderson, T Bolema. G, Muller, K, Powell, K, Asano; T H I R D ROW; P. Vlrgen, U. Aracow, S. Markusse, A. Kane. L Bian, N. Renaud, R. Adolf. Torresen, P Bosch
Student Congress
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