Michigan Tech’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) voted on key funding and space allocation issues during its Sep. 24 meeting.
The most debated items on the agenda concerned a funding request from the Dungeons and Dragons (DND) Club, which reported that several of its books had been stolen, including two collector items. The club’s original Ways and Means (WAM) recommendation was for $613 to replace some stolen books and purchase paints for figurines. This original request was lowered to $270.08 due to questions about funding the stolen books. DND Club appealed this rejection at last week’s meeting. A motion was raised to approve the full amount; it failed 5-6-8, with several members citing concerns about the lack of security where the guidebooks are stored. Representatives decided that since the club already had access to many of the books, they would not fund the acquisition of additional copies. After the motion failed, the body returned to the reduced amount of $270.08 for paints, which passed 15-0-4.
Following this discussion, the Women’s Volleyball Club received a WAM (Ways and Means) recommendation to purchase 15 new volleyballs, since many of their current balls could no longer hold air due to excessive use and old age. USG voted to allocate $990.77 for the purchase, passing the motion 17-0-2.
In addition to the votes, USG welcomed 11 new members sworn in as representatives. They will immediately begin serving within the organization, participating in future votes and committee work.
Another significant decision involved the last remaining storage locker for student organizations. With six organizations seeking space and only one locker available, USG initially considered assigning it to the National Broomball Team and the Fishing Club, but concerns over net sizes and the higher activity level of the Automotive Enthusiasts shifted the allocation. Automotive Enthusiasts, needing room for numerous tools and parts—and having recently spent $2,000 on new equipment after requesting the locker—were paired with the Fishing Club instead. The measure passed 29-0-1. USG Advisor Cole Pierucki clarified that the Fishing Club must complete its reinstatement as a Registered Student Organization (RSO) with Student Leadership and Involvement (SLI) by the deadline, or its portion would be reassigned. Concerns over locker security and the Fishing Club’s registration prompted a second vote in order to confirm the initial decision, which passed 27-0-3.
Officer reports also provided key updates. Treasurer David Reeves reported on the current state of USG’s finances, noting how much of the overall budget remains as well as balances in the reserve and opportunity funds. Vice President Conner Skalitzky announced Rylan Feierabend, College of Business representative, as “Member of the Week” and outlined new rules for conducting meetings with a larger membership.
Liaison reports highlighted campus-wide developments. The Cultural Committee shared updates on the upcoming drag show, the Experience Tech Fee committee discussed changes of the Experience Tech logo and Rozsa student rush tickets, and the Graduate Student Government (GSG) research team reported that they are preparing for the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.
USG meets weekly on Wednesdays in the MUB’s Alumni Lounge at 7-9 p.m., and encourages any interested students to attend, especially those interested in becoming more involved with governance on campus.
