University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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STUDENT GOVERNMENT In the Student Government elections of 1976, a bunch of absurdists grouped together and drafted an Arts and Sausages platform for their Absurdist Party. By election time of the following year the party was somewhat divided, almost nonexistent. On Feb. 11, 1977, President Jay Adkins in his last meeting with the Board of Regents, diverted from his normal, comical behavior and reflected on the year with a serious note. Adkins admitted seeing things in a different perspective. Trying to run any kind of government as a come- dian is like tap dancing in the mud. It would be wonder- ful if you could do it, but you have a tendency to sink in, Adkins commented. Absurdist party members publicly disavowed Adkins ' remarks, and explained that they felt that the address had invalidated a lot of the things which Arts and Sau- sages represented. In December, after completion of one semester under the new administration, the Student Government members formed a committee to internally study the representative body. With the goal of reorganization and restructuring, the committee wanted to effect com- petent representation for students. The Senate, Senior Cabinet and members of various college councils com- prised the Students ' Association Restructuring Com- mittee. While the committee continued to gather information throughout the spring semester, no definite changes resulted. During the spring semester, Senator David Haug initi- ated the Bank Act which proposed that Student Gov- ernment withdraw their funds from the University account and become an independent agency. No con- crete action was taken due to the Senate ' s failure on three separate occasions to Jach the required quo- rum.

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( STUDENT GOVERNMENT I ' m going to be studying at the library until 11 o ' clock tonight. Could you find someone going my direction so I won ' t have to walk back to the dorm by myself? Taking advantage of the Student Govern- ment ' s Buddy System, late studiers were paired with others so that no one on campus had to walk home alone in the dark. While not many persons employed the service, more students became aware that campus crime could be combatted. Originally, before the pro- ject was instituted, a study of reported assaults revealed that most attacks occurred during the early evening as students walked to labs or the library. Both the campus police and Student Government worked together to make the campus safe. However, the difficulty in finding buddies caused the project to be discontinued. Closely connected to the need for the Buddy Sys- tem was the institution of a 24-hour open undergradu- ate library. Dr. Lorene Rogers opposed keeping the AC open continuously, stating that that majority of students merely used the facility during final exams. After con- cessions by both Rogers and Student Government, the AC remained open from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. during the semester; during finals students could study around- the-clock. I HOURS AC Opens 24-Hours During Finals tt c PI -.:.- ii Please have books, purses, packs and briefcases open for inspection. 252 24-Hour Library