Amanda Sartore, newly elected student vice president for academic affairs, wants to have a university scholarship database up and running at the beginning of next school year.

“I’m looking for (the database) to be there within the first two to three weeks (of the fall semester),” Sartore said.

The scholarship database will be part of the Student Government Web site, allowing students to enter information about themselves and find matching scholarship opportunities.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Tracy Gall, sophomore family and consumer sciences major. “My friend has been looking (for scholarships) online and has had a hard time finding anything.”

Currently, a student seeking scholarship information must fill out an information form at the Student Activities Center.

It usually takes about two weeks for students to receive their results because so many requests are filed, Sartore said.

The online database will produce instant results.

“The results will pop up instantly,” Sartore said.

The database will provide students with information about many types of scholarships, such as those pertaining to certain majors or specific requirements.

“There are a lot of scholarships for the majors,” Sartore said.

Students will still be able to locate scholarships through the Student Activities Center, in addition to utilizing the database, she said.

The database will be created by an Eastern student and will not cost any money, Sartore said.

“I already have the students who can make (the Web site),” she said. “They’re going to try to do it over the summer.

“I thought, ‘Why pay out for someone else to do it?'” Sartore said.

In addition to the scholarship database, Sartore also wants to get students involved with faculty hiring procedures.

“I want to have a student in each department for faculty hiring procedures,” she said.

One student currently sits on the Presidential Search Committee, which hires Eastern’s presidents, Sartore said.

But no rule states student input must be considered in the hiring of faculty members.

“If we’re capable enough to pick the president of our university, we should have a say in who is in our departments,” she said. “We are the ones who are the most affected by the faculty each day.”

Although Ronnie Deedrick, current student vice president for academic affairs, has already begun contacting department chairs to get student representation on department committees, Sartore will continue these efforts.

“I’m going to pick up where he left off,” she said. “It’ll start when I come back in the fall.”