The last Student Senate meeting of the fall semester included an overview of the past semester's work by various student body representatives and elections for this semester's Senate chairs.

In their final reports, Student Body Vice President Julie Beckenstein and Campus Life chair Nasheena Porter emphasized the success of Student Senate's efforts to fight against the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT) cuts to bus services.

"We've gotten over 1,000 letters to Harrisburg,'" Beckenstein stated.

Porter said the Campus Life Committee discussed ways in which Carnegie Mellon could make up for a loss of public transportation, such as offering University bus services, but added, "Hopefully that won't have to happen."

Beckenstein also said that she would look into the creation of a Student Advisory Committee (SAC)in regards to renewing dining contracts and would address student concerns about the University Committee on Discipline (UDC) process.

"There've been questions about how students are treated, questions about if it's really a fair process," Beckenstein explained.

Academic Affairs chair Jonathan Mendelson expressed satisfaction with Senate's work to schedule fewer final exams during the morning block: "Indeed, this change has been successfully implemented." However, he hopes that Academic Affairs will continue to work on the issue of "sub-par advising," saying that he believes it is "the biggest issue facing students."

Other chairs explained that their committee's work will extend into the spring semester. 

"They are planning on increasing tuition next year," Business Affairs chair Ed Ryan said. "It concerned my committee greatly that there was so little student feedback."

On a lighter note, Ryan also included a full report regarding "Project Lucky Charms," which involved a price comparison between Entropy and Rite Aid on many items from cereal to soda. The project was named after the complaint that began the investigation, citing Lucky Charms prices as unreasonably higher in Entropy compared to local grocery and convenience stores.

"CMU does encourage facial hair on its students," Ryan said when one senator complained that Mach3 razor blade replacements cost $4 per blade in Entropy. Many health care and physically large items, such as boxes of cereal, were on average more expensive at Entropy than at Rite Aid.

"Soda across the board is cheaper," said Ryan of items that Entropy sells for less than Rite Aid, "And you do get a good deal on condoms."

Overall, Ryan said that the items Entropy sells could be refocused on smaller items that Entropy could afford to sell at a discounted price - larger items cost more because of limited storage space - if students felt that it would improve their on-campus shopping experience.

A bill was also brought to the attention of the senators that would specify that a Student Government/JFC reserve account, used in case the activities fee fund runs into deficit, should contain ten percent of Student Government's total funds.

"[This way] we have money aside in case bad things happen," said Vice President for Finance Steven Kling.

The bill also recommends a 2.5-12.5% Student Government Operating Reserve, which would be used for large joint projects with the Graduate Student Assembly (GSA).

"This also provides a lasting guideline [for reserves]," added Joint Funding Committee chair Nicolette Louissant.

The proposed bill will be sent through Senate and GSA next semester.

Special allocations were allotted to both Tanah, Carnegie Mellon's South Asian dance troupe, and the Figure Skating Club to cover costs for competitions in the spring semester. Tanah was given $300 for registration fees and the Figure Skating Club $1,028 for airway transportation.

Senate also approved a $1,240 allocation to HSS junior Thomas Oliver for an interdisciplinary college effort to create a film about a girl traveling to Pittsburgh in search of her mother.

"It's going to be a pretty big production," said Oliver. "In order to do something that's actually going to make a difference, it's going to take money."

The film, with Oliver says will showcase "The DaVinci Effect" in action at Carnegie Mellon, is going into production this spring.

Senate also approved its own budget for the spring semester as $5,925.

Four members-at-large were approved during this meeting: HSS freshman Fei Lu, CIT senior Adam Greenburg, SHS freshman Shingai Samudzi, and CFA freshman Diane Purcell. Many of these appointments brought enthusiastic endorsements from current Senate members, such as Member-at-large Sean Weinstock's declarations of nominees being "champions" and Senator Adam Atkinson dolling out his personal "seal of approval."

As the last order of business, senators voted on the Spring semester's Student Senate chairs. CIT junior Nicholas Scocozzo was reelected as Senate Chair, as was MCS senior Ed Ryan to Business Affairs, CIT senior Michelle Birchak to Internal Development, CFA sophomore Maureen Burns to Communications, CIT junior Tom Sabram to Funding and Recognition, and SCS sophomore Meg Richards as Sergeant-At-Arms. New chairs are HSS senior Josh Yearsley for Academic Affairs and HSS senior Adam Atkinson for Campus Life.

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