The Student Senate will be discussing a resolution and two bills at their meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Tuscola-Arcola Room in The Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

The first resolution the senate will discuss, Resolution 15-16-03, calls for measures to help better educate Eastern students regarding the ongoing budget crisis.

Maralea Negron, the student speaker of the senate, said that student senate feels as if students, although very passionate and motivated to pressure a resolution, do not understand what exactly is happening with the budget crisis.

“Helping educate them either through social media or physical outreach, surveys or interviews are ways we think will help,” Negron said. “We want students to be informed and knowledgeable about what is going on so that they will take some sort of initiative.”

The Apportionment Board has recommended two new bills that will be discussed by the Senate at the meeting.

The first new bill, 15-16-04, recommends that the Student Government release an allowance of $700 to support the Konnichiwa Sushi Event.

Being held during Asian Heritage Month, the Konnichiwa Sushi Event provides a fun and different way to bring cultural diversity to Eastern’s students.

The event was very popular in the past; therefore, the University Board said it believes the event should be back.

The second new bill, 15-16-05, asks that $2,205 be taken out of the Student Government Reserve Account to support events that have already been passed for the remainder of this semester.

The senate will go into a period of questions after discussing the bills and resolution then take a vote at next week’s meeting.

Senators will also discuss the reaction to the Fund EIU Rally.

“We are going to discuss how senators feel like the rally went and if they are in favor of participating in the Fund EIU initiatives or interested in contributing at all,” Negron said.

Negron said students should get more involved if they are stressed out about the budget crisis.

“Even if you aren’t into politics, just read up on the budget impasse and just learn about this problem of debt in Illinois was already a problem,” Negron said. “I would just inform students to do everything they can to become more aware.”

Negron said that although this is a very bad situation, she believes that it is causing students to become more involved in politics.

“Politics, even though it may be boring to some students, are very important because that’s the future and we are the future,” Negron said.

Negron said she wants students to know that if they have any initiatives, ideas or anything they want Student Government to do as a governing organization, the Student Senate is always open to suggestions.

Thomas Mahrenholz can be reached 581-2812 or [email protected]