MSA prepares to change pace for summer term

When the University heads into the spring and summer terms, the Michigan Student Assembly's identity will alter a little.

MSA President Bram Elias said although the summer assembly will not initiate any major activities, it will attempt to develop projects the assembly has already approved.

Student Regent Liaison Committee Chair Elise Erickson said a proposal for the elected group could be voted on by the University Board of Regents at its May meeting.

According to the proposal, the committee will consist of seven students - six elected student members and the MSA president.

The committee, which the assembly approved in March, will serve as a "student voice" on the board. The committee is scheduled to conduct in-depth discourse on student-related issues that are brought up on regents agenda, but it will not have voting power.

If the regents approve the SRLC in May, Erickson said, its members will be elected in the Fall.

The SRLC was approved by MSA after the assembly decided to discontinue funding for Student Regent Task Force fees. SRTF, which worked toward achieving a voting student regent, is still intact, but currently inactive according to SRTF Chair Trent Thompson.

Erickson, who has worked with Regent David Brandon (R-Ann Arbor) to develop the SRLC, added that a student liaison to the regents is a more tangible goal.

"We would have to go through hoops of legislation" to get a voting student regent, Erickson said.

Elias explained that one of MSA's jobs during the summer is to lobby the University's administration. In addition to the SRLC, he said, the cost of tuition also will be a lobbying point this summer.

External Relations Committee Chair Ellen Friedman said the summer assembly might also extend its lobbying to state senators and representatives.

The lobbying, Friedman said, will focus on Senate Bill 306, which would require Michigan residents to list the same address on their driver's license and voter registration cards.

Taking a stance on this bill last week, MSA voted to oppose it, citing the fact that it would hinder University students who live far from home but choose to vote in Ann Arbor.

The bill, which has been passed by the House of Representatives, is being deliberated by the Senate's Transportation Committee.

The assembly also plans to focus on its job of allocating funds to student groups, expecting to allocate about $12,000. The maximum amount the assembly can hand out is $500.

04-20-99