During the last Student Senate meeting, the senate made two appointments to the Student Finance Council, debated their authority range within the strategic plan implemented last school year and discussed future ways to recognize Sept. 11. They also discussed whether too much money as being allotted to hall councils.

Junior senator Matt Kaplan reported on the first meeting of the Admissions and Relations to Secondary Schools committee, where some admissions research was presented.

Kaplan noted “a major success among the incoming class with respect to academic credentials, diversity and the total number of applicants in the pool.”

Two seniors, Melissa Sanchez and Lynzie Deveres, had applied for positions on the SFC. The SFC is the committee that deals with distributing money from the Student Activity Fee to student organizations.

A sizable part of the job is “learning how to balance and run a sufficient and sustaining organizational model,” said Kaplan. In an intensive interview, the senate asked the two candidates about their experience and their opinions on issues such as wasted money and under-funded sports clubs. Deveres and Sanchez had each previously held a treasurer position in a student organization. Deveres particularly stressed the need for student organizations using money to go off-campus to bring something back to the community. The senate voted to appoint both of them to the council.

Next, the senate noted that it had received 11 nominations for the nine seats looking to be filled this semester. The senate expects more nominations to come in before the Sept. 24 elections. Many students had also expressed interest in joining committees, a topic which led the senate to discuss the boundaries of strategic plan on whom the senate can appoint.

Senators Ezra Temko and Ozlym Gemici, both College juniors, offered two proposals that together would assert senate’s desire for authority in deciding student appointees to committees. Temko felt the students should be responsible for taking part in the student appointments for committee seats.

Currently the process is being moved along by senior members of the strategic planning committee who already had certain students — recommended for their seats by various factions of the Oberlin community — appointed directly. However, Temko also believed senate would not be able to handle the applications as expediently. Both of his proposals were accepted.

Temko raised a concern that Oberlin had done nothing to recognize the anniversary of September 11. He suggested having a speaker visit on that day. The other senators thought senate would be best at handling the responsibility, as no other student organizations deal with the issue of Sept. 11. Also, the anniversary comes early in the school year before most organizations are up and running. Senate tabled the issue until the spring.

Another concern raised by Temko involved the amount of money given to hall councils, as he felt some hall councils had too much money.

For the larger dorms, the normal seven dollars per person was acceptable. However, the smaller dorms did not need as much money. Kaplan corrected Temko, saying that the money was given on a three-year cycle. The issue was tabled until next meeting when the senate may create a subcommittee to review it.