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

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STUDENTS ' ASSOCIATION Committees request opinions and serve Senate Stories by LAURIE ROSENBOWER If students want input it ' s only as far as the nearest shuttle bus pole, said Rick Patrick, chairman of the Students ' Association Communication Com- mittee. Interested in students ' opi- nions on current issues such as shuttle bus service and parking situations, the committee installed ten suggestion com- partments this year to monitor needs. These were more than just suggestion boxes; they contained some multiple choice questions so students without specific ideas could give some input. Rather than just a survey, they are suggestion boxes too, said Patrick. It ' s also a two-way communication. It puts students in immediate touch with the Students ' Association and replies are sent to those who respond, said Patrick. The committee also has expanded its efforts to include several new projects in addition to the survey compartments. These include an information booth, speaker circuit and banner publicity. We have many different respon- sibilities throughout the year to the INTERNAL AFFAIRS: FIRST ROW: Stacy Lynn Beauchamp, Carolyn Sue Collins, Melissa Ann Mueller. SECOND ROW: Gregory Paul Hemphill, Christine Jeanne Note), Gail Lynne Gerber, Melinda Alene Roth. Photo by Kevin Gutting Senate, said Mindy Roth, chairman of the Internal Affairs Committee. The proper execution of Senate affairs was the basic goal of this Students ' Association Committee. Among the responsibilities committee members faced this year included plan- ning and executing a retreat for Senate members and committee chairs for general orientation purposes, dealing with membership problems of all com- mittees and the Senate including areas of absenteeism, motivation and work ethics. To get students involved with their Senators, the committee organized bull sessions and a Senate Sound-Off, which was an open forum for students to ex- press to the Student Senate their con- cern on a variety of issues. Referendum One, concerning the New In- tramural Rec Sports Facilities, passed by a 2-1 margin during the elections held March 5-6. Photo by Kevin Gutting HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU. COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE: FIRST ROW: Heather Douglass Rodenbaugh, Amber Alisa Felts, Winnie Theresa Rullo, Mari Kristine Frost, John Earle Patrick, Kathleen Marie Hudson, Danny G. Tissembaum, Brad Steven Sloan, Martha Maria Franco. SECOND ROW: Risa Jill Turken, Claire Leslie Friedman, Kimberly Ann Anderson, Elizabeth Martha Herbert, Kelly Marie Leach, David Mark Kalish, Michael Allen Perez, David Louis Marks. THIRD ROW: Michelle Renee Leleux, Ann-Marie Nichols, Linda Ann Schultz, Rowland Earnest Baldwin, Clayton Boyd Griffis, Raymond John Koenig. FOURTH ROW: Erik Martin Sampsel, Tamara Lynne Mayes, Veronica Garcia, Eric Stewart Folkerth, Jagdish Hotan Pursam. FIFTH ROW: Katherine Marie Abney, Austin Lorenzo, Justin Eric Poe. - Photo by Stephen Reed 208 Students ' Association

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STUDENTS ' ASSOCIATION v Committee actively responds to student problems and issues by LAURA ROSSMAN We go from the campus outwards, said Lynda Lankford, co-chairman of the Citizens ' Affairs Committee. As a non-partisan student interest group, the committee based its endorsements Texas Student Lobby representative Meg Brooks negotiates a compromise tuition bill to protect all students. Photo by Robert Cohen ' Mayoral candidates Mike Poulson, Mae Marion, Ron Mullen, Frank Cooksey and Max Nofziger discuss current local topics for the April 6 election. Photo by Kevin Gutting CITIZENS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: FIRST ROW: Marcela Maria Uribe, Kelly Lynne Lowry, Lynda Lee Lankford, Patricia Denise Getz, Lynn Cecil Prager. ROW TWO: James Clay Crawford, Sherman Anthony Burton, Ann Margaret Montgomery, Chris T. Flynn, Lin C. Morriset, Anna Margaret Brooks, William Maurice Christian, Eliseo Ruiz III. Photo by Karen Messerman strictly on responses to questions on student issues, such as tenant-landlord problems and student participation on Austin boards such as the Public Utilities Commission, said Lankford. She added that testifying before com- mittees through its affiliation with the Texas Student Lobby was the commit- tee ' s most important function. One of the most successful projects undertaken by the committee was a voter registration drive. Lankford estimated that some 12,000 voters were registered, contributing to an increase in voter participation on campus. The committee ' s scope of interest in- cluded both local political issues, such as the shuttle-bus expansion and single-member districts and community service projects such as the committee ' s Holiday Food and Clothing Drive. An initial investment of $243.00 for adver- tising and donation boxes placed in the Union and in campus libraries reaped $10,000 worth of donations that were distributed to needy Austin families at Christmas. Lankford explained the community-service commitment of the largely politically-oriented committee, saying that you can ' t continue to make demands upon the community without also serving it. Members of the Citizens ' Affairs Commit- tee encourage students to register for the Presidential election. An estimated 12,000 students were registered. Photo by Tommy Tompkins Students ' Association 207

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STUDENTS ' ASSOCIATION Advising program fills void In an effort to assist students plan their course schedules, the University Policy Committee began a pilot peer advising program for the spring 1985 semester. A survey conducted in the fall of 1983 indicated that 89% of the students surveyed felt an improvement in the advisory program was needed. We looked into ways advising was happening on campus and took the best details of them all, said Jody Sheske. Because there was no peer advising pro- gram at the time in the College of Com- munication, the program started there and will serve as a prototype for others. Illustrating the concept of safety in numbers, SURE escort Chria Benavides walks a female student home. Photo by Robert Cohen Advisors for the program were upper-division students with at least a 3.0 GPA. Most were recommended by faculty members while others were sug- gested by the Dean ' s office. They went through twelve hours of training and received a handbook outlining re- quirements for each degree program. UNIVERSITY POLICY: FIRST ROW: James Joseph Scheske, Roderick Teryl Henly, Angela Stephanie Cotera, Richard Andrew Loew, Kirk David Launius, Richard Vincent Lebovitz. SE- COND ROW: Douglas Andrew Chin, John M. Scott, Mii i Lynn Armstrong, Ellen Jean Neely, Merrill Frances Nix, Sharon Elizabeth Ham, Michelle Renee Lindsay. THIRD ROW: James Brian Loeffler, Brent Warren Mellow, Daniel George Anna, Mark Leonard Lebovitz, Dionsio Dean Escobedo, Steve Frank Barrett. Photo by Stephen Reed I Housed on the Union ' s fourth floor, the Students ' Association office provided a base for all student government agencies. Photo by Kevin Gutting EncStmrtF 1 - Students ' Association 209