BY CORIE LYNN
A consistent method of recycling for students has long been an issue on the FHSU campus.
At the Student Government Association’s meeting Thursday, Student Senator Mickey Mason once again broached the subject.
According to Mason, a member of the FHSU custodial staff informed he would be willing to trial run student recycling in a campus building.
Legislative Affairs Director Kendra Clary joined the discussion by stating that the university’s Environmental Safety Officer is also willing to trial recycling, beginning in one building.
But, as Clary explained during the meeting and in a following interview, the issue with campus recycling lies in students’ history of putting non-recyclable items in the bins and the responsibility of taking out the recycling resting on only one student custodian.
“So the big issues with it are getting students to correctly recycle and also finding someone interested in maintaining that throughout the future years on campus and really making it a valuable system of recycling on campus,” Clary said.
Because this discussion occurred during the SGA’s Open Forum, guests were allowed to join the conversation. Tiger Place Community Director Christopher Wheeless took this opportunity to share that FHSU Residential Life has seen success in a similar recycling trial in the Wooster Place apartments.
“We had very little problems with the issues [of non-recyclable items] you mentioned before,” Wheeless said.
In his weekly report, SGA President Mark Faber mentioned that he was also looking into recycling. During the week, he researched how campuses with demographics similar to FHSU’s tackle the issue.
In his report, Faber also announced that the street sign design contest that was to open the previous week has been postponed while reviewing design guidelines from the City of Hays and from the University.
Other reports came from Vice President Ryan Stanley and Treasurer David Schulte.
Stanley used this time to inform the student senators that he spent his week prioritizing all of the issues that had been brought to the SGA’s attention this semester.
He also contacted the STUCO organizations at Hays High School and Victoria High School to discuss a possible collaboration.
As treasurer, Schulte is already preparing for the spring allocations process. During his evening’s report, he reminded the student senators of how the process of allocations works and asked that individuals consider joining the allocations committee.
Once the committee is formed, student organizations will be able to begin submitting their budgets for the following year.
He also announced that he is working with the Shooting Sports Club to find a source of funding other than allocations.
“[We’re working] to reorganize the way the club is funded because it takes such a large portion of the allocations fund,” Shulte said.
An additional report came from Clary, who sits on the University’s Open Educational Resource Committee. This committee met for the first time this week.
According to Clary, the committee would like to give students a better knowledge of FHSU “Z-courses,” which are classes that utilize free or low-cost materials.
The committee will also put into place three awards for university departments or individuals that make a significant impact in the use of low-cost materials on campus.
Before closing the meeting, the student senators passed two bills and one resolution.
The first bill installed a new student senator and the second provided funding for the Dungeons & Dragons Club to purchase materials while the resolution stated that the SGA condemns all sexual misconduct.
The Student Government Association will reconvene at 7 p.m. on Oct. 28 at the Robbins Center.