Katie Ward
Staff Writer
Beginning this semester at the Foghorn, we will be reviving a former feature — weekly Senate (ASUSF) coverage. I will be attending each meeting as Senate Correspondent, and we intend to focus on several key topics. I, a first year Media Studies major with a double minor in journalism and politics, was selected to cover this regular report. This is my second semester at the Foghorn, where I also serve as the copy editor.
First and foremost, money will be a prominent theme in each week’s piece. We intend to explore how ASUSF raises and/or obtains money, and the ways in which they decide to spend it. We will also examine how much money they currently have in reserve and its relationship with their activities.
It is our belief that Senate spending should be dictated by the needs of the student body, with the needs of everyone in mind. To that end, the following questions will guide our coverage in this regard: How does Senate help us, the students? And how do they take input from us and consider our needs? Are they receptive to those needs and are our demands being heard? Or are they falling upon deaf ears?
This line of questioning led us to ask, how do they go about following through on those needs? We plan to cover the processes they follow, or fail to follow, in order to fulfill their duties. We will attempt to explain the many jobs and responsibilities of Senate that the student body might be unaware of.
Another question that we’d like to uncover is whether or not a checks and balances system exists within ASUSF. Can USF students approach Senate and question their accountability? And if so, what recourse does the average student have who disagrees with a decision made by them?
In doing so, we hope to determine if ASUSF is fully democratic in the true sense of the word.
Additionally we will determine if Senate faces any repercussions from USF officials, i.e. the Board of Trustees or the Administration. If Senate makes decisions for the student body, who determines if those decisions are in the best interest of students?
Finally we hope to uncover the faces of Senate. We’d like to focus on the diversity of ASUSF, educationally, recreationally, and otherwise. How the student body decides on its Senators is also important to the Foghorn, and we intend to detail how Senate chooses, introduces, and trains its new members.
Our Senate coverage begins next week, when we discuss the members informally inducted at the meeting on January 27, the first meeting of the year. We will also discuss the format of the meeting, and the plans that Senate has for the coming semester.
Note: The Foghorn will be conducting an in-depth interview with University President, Fr. Paul J. Fitzgerald, next Monday, Feb. 9=. If you have any questions you would like asked to him please email News Editor, Ben GIll, at [email protected]
Photo Credit: Courtesy of ASUSF
