Approved

• Senior Kelsey Seitz, AS vice president of services, requested to change the titles of service branch positions from chair to coordinator, as well as changing Seitz’s current title to vice president of events and programming. Seitz said most service chairs do not believe their current titles accurately reflect their jobs and that the branch is moving from services toward events and programming.Titles will be changed to social events coordinator, intramurals coordinator, clubs coordinator, spirit events coordinator, religious lectures coordinator and coalition for social action coordinator.

Pending

• • Junior Giovani Prayitno, International Student Association chair, requested $2,000 for a retreat taking place March 23 to 25. The money will also be used for ISA Cultural Awareness Day on May 9, which hopes to facilitate interactions between the Biola community and students with unique cultural backgrounds. An estimated $200 of the proposed amount will go toward retreat scholarships for students with financial challenges. The remaining funds would cover transportation, cultural event expenses and honoraria for speakers for the retreat and awareness day.
  • Senior Chris Elliott, a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, proposed $155 to fund a free tasting event that is slated to take place later this semester. The money will go toward supplies and the event could serve between 500 and 1,000 sample-sized cups, Elliot said.
  • Juniors Tim Engle and Dani Decena, Horton senators, requested $670 to help fund Horton Hall’s annual Masquerade, hosted by the Mosaic men’s floor. The Mosaic Masquerade, which is similar to Hart’s Deck the Haven and Heat of the Night, will be expanding its venue this year to include the entire second floor rather than just the south side. In the two years that Masquerade has existed, residents have contributed their own money to host the event, according to Engle. Funds would go toward soft drinks, food and decorations — eliminating the need for residents to use their own money.

• Sophomore Tyler Caldwell, a resident assistant in North Horton, requested $465 to help fund Horton’s Open Mic Night all-hall, an outdoor talent show. Funds will go toward the cost for stage and lights setup by Event Services and the remainder of the all-hall costs will be covered by the Residence Life budget. The showcase will be a first for Horton, according to Caldwell.
• Sophomore Robert Kelley, a business administration major, requested $1,000 for Urban Plunge, an immersion experience for Torrey students in downtown Los Angeles. Students cover approximately 35 percent of expenses and Urban Plunge is seeking additional funding from the provost and Torrey. Funding would cover food, transportation and housing costs.
• Senior Hilary Larkins, a business administration major, requested $750 for a marketing banquet in May. The banquet will be for the students in the marketing class and the visiting non-profit organization representatives they worked with in the Metzger board dining room. Larkins said the Crowell School of Business does not have a large budget and the requested funding would cover food, linens and floral expenses.
• Because the cost of redesigning the AS website was significantly lower than planned, $8,000 is left over, which senior Jessica Wagenbach, AS director of marketing and communications, would like to reallocate to buy new desks for the AS office.

Passed

• Senators heavily debated last week’s pending proposal requesting $1,700 to help fund a Caf event to celebrate Black History Month on Thursday, Feb. 23. Senior Luke Robinson, Sigma senator, voiced concern about the event, citing that some minority students were offended by last year’s Soul Food Night event after hearing racially insensitive comments from other students about certain foods.“I think the problems of this night exist because of problems that already exist in the student body,” said senior Kevin Mitchell, off-campus community senator.

  With the pressing timeliness of Black History Month’s special dinner, senators decided that at this point in time, passing the proposal for live entertainment would help keep the focus off the food, said junior Michael Ottenad, Hart senator. After two motions, the proposal was passed for the full amount in an 8-7 vote.