Voter Registration Committee Update!

Hi Everyone,

I'm posting this because Josh told me to.

Gail Schnitzer and I had a meeting with County Clerk Mark Shelden to discuss various student voting issues. We thought it went really well!

First, we're going to work with him to send out the usual primary election mass mail and we'll include in this mass mail our efforts to take students to vote early.

Second, we can do a deputy registrar class on campus in April. I'll let folks know when we work the details out, but it'd be great to have deputy registrars available at move in during the fall and at other events to make voting simpler for students.

Third, Mark Shelden agreed to try to look into getting locked boxes for voter registration forms in the dorms if we can get him permission to do so from housing.

Fourth, he gave us info on how we can get money from HAVA to support student non-partisan poll assistants. Apparently there are students in Peoria utilizing this money right now.

Lastly, he agreed to look into getting the technology ready for an early voting terminal for campus, but can't promise that he'll be able to do it in November or for this election.

Also, if anyone is interested in helping with our effort to take people to vote early, please come to our next meeting on Wed. March 1 at 9 in the ISS office. We will be taking people to the polls in the VIP vans on March 13, 14, and 15.

And, don't forget to vote! The primary election is March 21 (during Spring Break). If you're not registered or registered at the wrong address, you can still register up until March 7 if you go to the County Clerk's office. You'll have to vote when you register though.
You can vote early from Feb. 27 - March 16!
The County Clerk's office is at 1776 E. Washington in Urbana.
Visit www.champaigncountyclerk.com for more info on what ID to bring.

-Jen Walling
Graduate College
Co-Chair ISS Student Voter Registration Committee

State of the Student Senate

My last column was on the state of the Student Senate, I posted the column on my personal blog. I think we've done a great job together this year. Thanks for all your hard work! The post is here.

Faculty Award Nominations Open

ISS has created categories for 5 faculty awards and the nomination process is now open. If you know an instructor who deserves an award, nominate him or her here.

A Crisis of Courage

I posted some thoughts on student leadership on my personal blog, this will run as a column in the DI tomorrow. The column is titled A Crisis of Courage. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Love
Josh

TAM Merger

I think we actually did this a while ago, but now that Professor Sehitoglu of the ME department has come in and talked to us, I thought it would be a good time for people to discuss what they think about the proposed TAM merger. Share your opinion!

And to let people know what's going on, Academic Affairs (which is chaired and run in its entirety by Melissa Kennedy, I just happen to know a great deal about it) will be voting in its meeting on Monday on whether it wants to recommend the merger or not, and that will then be presented to the full ISS the following Wednesday coupled with a full report presenting both sides.

7 DAY MCKINLEY A REALITY!

On behalf of the entire Student Life Committee, Joseph Danavi
and I would like to express our intentions to dedicate this
semester's work solely to the transformation of McKinley as
a seven day clinical service. We have met with Dr. Palinkas
and the McKinley Student Advisory Committee several times
after initiating this idea because we believe a 7-day
clinical service will not only contribute to campus safety
and accessibility, but lower health costs of those students
who are forced to visit a hospital on the weekends. In
addition, a 7-day clinical service supports President
White's intentions to make the University of Illinois a
profound university with full services, pushing U of I into the
competitive Top 10 bracket. The SLC will work tirelessly to
make this 7-day clinical service dream a reality, and asks
for the support of the entire Illinois Student Senate.

Thanks,

Katie Hamilton and Joseph V. Danavi

Student Rights Cardcrawl

Tonight, the Illinois Student Senate in conjunction with the ACLU will be holding its first-ever cardcrawl. Both ISS and ACLU members will be visiting several campus bars such as Legends, Brothers, and Kams. They will distribute cards, which outline appropriate actions for students not to take when approached by a police officer. It is important to get the word out to students on what rights they do have as well as what actions are inappropriate.

Last month, ISS and the ACLU with the help of University housing were able to distribute door hangers, which outlined student rights to every University dorm room. I think that both of these efforts will help inform students of what rights they do have as well as legal resources they have available to them. For example, it is my opinion that many students on campus do not know that police officers cannot enter someone's room without seeing something in plain sight or without a warrant. Hopefully, through this effort students will be better informed of their rights and options they have if ever arrested.

Lastly, I applaud the entire Student Rights Committee and ACLU for their efforts in starting this effort and hopefully will be something future U of I student governments can continue.

-Ariel


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