Electronic billboards were once again a topic of discussion at Wednesday’s Student Senate meeting.

The topic was discussed among senators and one audience member.

Nico Canaday, a senior English major and the president of EIU Pride, came to the first meeting marked as the first stop for the “Senate on the Road” program in Pemberton Hall’s Great Room.

During the meeting the resolution about the electronic billboards that was recently passed by the Senate was discussed.

“I felt they made too hasty of a decision,” Canaday said about the resolution.

Canaday said he felt the student government had not reached enough students to ask their opinion on the possible electronic billboards.

“I run one of the largest organizations on campus and nobody came to us,” Canaday said. Canaday, who is also a resident assistant in Thomas Hall, also argued that there were no Student Senate members who approached Thomas Hall or the Residence Hall Association to get student feedback for the electronic billboards.

Student Senate Speaker Zach Samples, a history major, said he felt the response from students on the electronic billboard survey reflected the wishes of students, who were in favor of them.

Samples said the majority of people he has talked to personally are in favor of the electronic billboards.

“I’m personally not in favor of them,” Canaday said about the amount of corporate advertising to be displayed on the billboards. “I think they compromise the integrity of the school. To me Eastern is a refuge of the corporate world.”

Tommy Nierman, co-author of the resolution in favor of the electronic billboards and a senior business major, said he appreciated the fact that Canaday came out to the meeting on Wednesday.

“Hopefully people will want to step up more,” Nierman said.

Other topics of discussion during the student government meeting included the successful conclusion of the voter registration drive.

Jarrod Scherele, the student executive vice president, said, “In my opinion, (it was a) big success.”

Scherele, along with other Student Senate volunteers, registered 254 voters.

He said the voter registration drive lasted three days with about 15 hours of work.

Kathryn Richter can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].