The Student Senate will host a forum Monday to gauge students’ concerns on campus.

Lindsey Baum, chair of the Student Relations Committee, said students can talk about any issue of concern at the forum.

“This forum is for the students to voice their complaints over university policies and procedures; anything about the grounds, parking or any other specific topic,” Baum said.

Members of various committees of Student Senate, like External Relations and Student Relations, will be on hand to answer any questions students may have.

“If there is a question that we can’t answer that’s more directed to an administrator, we will take that student’s question to the proper administrator and then get the answer to that student,” Baum said.

Baum said the forum will give senate members a good grasp of what it needs to work on in the future.

“The forum will give us a lot of ideas, and could be the start of future resolutions. This will let us know what the students want us to work on.” Baum said.

The Student Senate forum will be from 7 to 9 p.m Monday in the Casey Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

— compiled by Avian Carrasquillo,

student government editor

The School of Technology Centennial Symposium will examine education’s influence on technology and facts and myths of biotechnology.

“Impact of Technology on Current Educational Efforts” will be presented by Charles Rohn, dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies. Rohn will discuss how education has influenced technology and also how technology has affected education in the past 100 years.

“Biotechnology– Fact and Myth” will be presented by Kipp Kruse, chair of the biological sciences department. Kruse will discuss the enormous effects technology has had on biology in the past century.

Kruse said he will mainly focus on biotechnology and DNA recombination, but he also will discuss cloning, genetic engineering and disease.

“Mostly I will talk about what biotechnology is and some myths about it — what it is and why it has incredible promise to help solve the world’s biggest problems,” Kruse said. “It has a bad reputation because people don’t understand it and are afraid.”

Biotechnology is used for pharmaceuticals, DNA recombination techniques and to increase food production and fuel production, Kruse said.

Kruse said some people are scared of gene manipulation and he will try to expose myths in his presentation. A lot of myths are associated with biotechnology, Kruse said. People are afraid something will be created and destroy the world.

Kruse used computers as an example of a great advancement in technology that can be harmful if used improperly, but also is needed.

The presentation will begin at 7 p.m. Monday in the Arcola/Tuscola Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. The free presentation is open to the public.

— compiled by Jennifer Chiariello, activities editor