6/06/2006: Live - Mark of the Beast Special Edition

-Fin-

10:12 PM: I propose an amendment to zero the entire budget of Student Government. I am absurdly tired and cutting this off short. Sorry, folks.

10:07 PM: Amendments #5 and #6 hold the entire budgets of ACCENT and SGP to a 3.6% increase, as opposed to merely the program lines being held to such a standard.

10:06 PM: Amendment #4 fails.

9:58 PM: Ryan just doomed Amendment #4 by stating he had not discussed cutting Museum Nights to once a month with anyone in a position of authority regarding Museum Nights.

9:58 PM: William Perry is still watching his economics lecture.

9:57 PM: Ryan is oh-for-3 on his amendments so far. Rather saddening, but not unexpected.

9:51 PM: A goodly bit of debate over Senate's own budget. Is it any real surprise that a vast majority of us are adamantly opposed to reducing the money that we spend on ourselves? I am perturbed, but really have nothing to say worth putting in debate.

9:47 PM: I hope Stan doesn't read the blogs, because I'm taking this opportunity to throw out that he is an arrogant bastard, and completely useless. I'm almost certain we have the ability to terminate his employment, too. Hint. Hint.

9:39 PM: Aha. The sum of any money saved by Ryan's amendments will be put towards the USA Today/NYT readership program. Good call.

9:37 PM: Ryan Nelson feeds a PowerPoint addiction.

9:31 PM: So a general theme here regarding certain vague lines is that President Boyles and Treasurer Moseley will be responsible with the money. It's not that I think they won't be - I'm sure they will. It's simply that the budget should not leave a lot of room for irresponsibility, because if it is possible, it will inevitably occur. There's no reason we should give our executives the opportunity to misspend our money, whether they openly plan to or not.

9:30 PM: Mobile Campus is useful for something? Apparently there is an informal quid pro quo whereby SG promotes Mobile Campus and Mobile Campus makes a reasonable endowment to us. That caught my ear.

9:18 PM: Discussing the budget and such things.

9:08 PM: Finally. Some meat and potatoes. A&S Fee Budget Amendments. Tanaz, despite many people telling me she is in fact quite smart, sounds like she has no idea what she's talking about.

9:07 PM: Passes unanimously.

9:04 PM: Senator (Ryan) Nelson's bill codifying certain awards into statutes, merely a clerical addition to prepare for another bill coming next week, apparently, limiting A&S Fee Award funding to awards codified in statutes.

9:04 PM: Passed by acclamation. Whee.

9:03 PM: William Perry is still watching an economics lecture.

9:01 PM: A clerical amendment to the SG Constitution offered by Senator Armstead. This is also common sense. I support passing this only if we can do so in five minutes or less.

9:00 PM: Passes by acclamation. Sweet.

8:55 PM: Presentation of Federal Research resolution. For the uninitiated, this is a resolution supporting a bill in the Senate that would require federal research to be made available for access online. Straight-forward, common sense, this should pass with a minimum of dissent. That's not always held up before, though. Let's watch.

8:55 PM: Transfer of $100,000 from Reserves to fund some administrative fee thing.

8:39 PM: Committee reports and things.

8:37 PM: Weiss gives a Pro Temp report, eight minutes after having given a President's report. This would be confusing if I weren't so smart. Still some seats open. Apply, kiddies.

8:34 PM: By acclamation. "Oh look how cute," Senator Cullin exclaims.

8:30 PM: Patrone is our only candidate for President. He is wandering the front area, "speaking from his heart." A generally drab speech. Not that he's not sincere, surely, but he's just not saying anything important, methinks.

8:22 PM: Treasurer Moseley brings his Assistant Treasurer recommendations. General discussion, approval by unanimity. Snore.

8:17 PM: States that "proper advertising" should not merely mean buying ads in the Alligator, but should start with SGers themselves. All but calls out Ryan for "putting oneself at an advantage," or something of the sort. I mean, I agree with the anger and all, but I'm not sure I can understand how they can maintain that the applications process was legit AND the publicity thereof was lacking. Perhaps I am typing too much and listening too little.

8:16 PM: VP Lydia is making a similar speech. "Apparently I can't do anything right." William Perry is watching an economics lecture.

8:14 PM: Reiterates that those who work hard will get where they want to go, those who merely bitch about being excluded will not, and should not.

8:11 PM: Decrys the student body for not wanting to get involved. I agree all-too-entirely. States that the application process surely could've gone better.

8:10 PM: Decrying the Alligator for perpetuating the same stereotype, states that he too as a freshman was disenchanted with SG, hated his first term in Senate, etc. I do not entirely agree.

8:05 PM: John Boyles is raising his voice. Decrys those who will perpetuate a stereotype of a closed SG for political ends, etc. etc. "I worked hard to get where I am."

Three problems with SG: Student Government, the Alligator, and the student body.

8:05 PM: We have power. Interesting happenings with Cabinet appointments. As stated in Ryan's column, the Student Affairs Secretary has little experience with University committees and Faculty Senate, Athletics Secretary has no experience with UAA. I get the distinct impression that they may not entirely be qualified.

7:46 PM: 8% battery. Short break.

7:43 PM: STAAR appointee I-Forgot-Her-Name speaks quietly about something.

7:41 PM: That he is as straightforward as he is about the problems in the Spring election, that the student body voted overwhelmingly for true online voting, etc., seems almost too good to be true. It will be interesting to see what comes of this.

7:38 PM: Asked which voting model he would support, appointee Aungst states all three have their pros and cons, but that the recent elections were very poorly run.

Vows to listen to the voice of the student body in that they want to be able to vote from any computer, that some people felt there was not a proper paper trail after the Spring election.

Will spend the most time investigating paper ballots and true online voting. Either he's a really good SoE candidate, or a really good politician.

7:35 PM: SoE appointee Brian Aungst speaks to his qualifications. Former Senator, Elections Commissioner, not a DPhiE (kidding), etc.

Hey! He knows what a 700 Code is! This is an improvement.

7:34 PM: President Boyles presents his appointments. A slew of appointees crowd the front desk area. Blocking a fire exit, methinks.

7:28 PM: Senator Cullin. She is selling her Blackberry. Scandal.

Nelson's column does not "represent the independent movement." Not, or at least should not be, a Greek/Anti-Greek conflict - "not anti-Greek, anti-System." NAGAS will appreciate the plug.

Taking the words right out of my mouth - same conclusions, but not simply because a majority of recommendations are Greek, but because the application process is not properly advertised. Says that columns such as this INCREASE, rather than decrease, the closed nature of SG by turning regular students away.

A gold star for Senator Cullin.

7:27 PM: Random dude talking about student groups and the Israel-Palestinian conflict. He is speaking so softly that I can't tell which side he's on.

7:24 PM: Senator Brett. Supports Patrone. Denounces "playing partisan politics" with Cabinet recommendations. I am none too fond of discriminating against appointments merely on the basis of their Greekship, and am none too fond of Ryan for doing so, but I think questioning their qualifications is not only justified, but the duty of us as Senators.

7:22 PM: Senator Delgado vouches for 17% of President Boyles' Cabinet Secretary recommendations, and urges passage of the whole list. Supports Brian Aungst for SoE, Mike Patrone for Senate President.

7:21 PM: Maybe it's just me, but Reilly does not look entirely too pleased to be saying these things. I get the impression he really wanted the position. Interesting.

7:20 PM: Reilly endorses Patrone. General qualifications and things. "He's been a role model."

7:20 PM: Senator Reilly steps up. I already know what he's going to say.

7:18 PM: Nelson makes a final plea to President Boyles and VP Washington to re-open Cabinet applications. Everyone looks concerned.

7:14 PM: Senator (Ryan) Nelson steps up. Apologizes for referencing "his party" in his article this morning. Then reads a Facebook message from a student, apparently reasonably qualified, who was denied an ACCENT position in favor of an anonymous Fratty McFrat. I am glad he is not stepping back from what he wrote, as many others have done in the past when fallout got too thick.

7:14 PM: Nothing for me. I'm hurt.

7:12 PM: Senators Johns and Hardwick speak about the NACURH conference and apparently have a bag full of goodies. Yippee!

7:10 PM: Senator Cineas speaks in favor of Patrone for Senate President. Pro-Patrone public debate speeches will waste approximately 15 minutes of my hard-earned time tonight.

7:08 PM: Senator (Mike) Nelson speaks in favor of the Public Research Thingy resolution. I'm guessing the same argument will be made approximately 7000 times before the resolution is passed by general assent. Boooring.

7:06 PM: A resolution supporting the CLO removed unanimously. Apparently the situation regarding the CLO has been resolved already.

7:05 PM: See what happens when you live-blog? I almost miss roll call.

7:01 PM: Called to order. Lauren has apparently ingrained in Pro Temp Weiss a punctuality oft not seen in these chambers.

Verily. Interesting night ahead.