SGA funds trip to convention
By Danny Gillham
Staff Reporter

Student Government Association unanimously passed a bill at Tuesday night’s meeting to supply a portion of funds to send Alpha Epsilon Delta, an organization for pre-health students, to its national convention.

Jennifer Hawkins, president of TCU’s chapter, said the university has 150 members and will attempt to send 24 members to the convention March 18 to 21 in Washington, D.C.

The bill was submitted at the Sept. 30 meeting by commuter representative Sebastian Moleski, a sophomore international economics major.

“We’re trying to get out there more than other schools to raise our hopes and dreams to make it to (medical) school,” said SGA member Jared Heathman, a sophomore biology major and Alpha Epsilon Delta member. “This money would boost success for TCU and allow the numbers that we want to go to (medical) school.”

The original bill asked for an allocation of $8,000 for the trip, but SGA treasurer Chris Mattingly said the finance committee decided on the amount of $2,600.

“We have to take into consideration a broad number areas, including how much we have in the budget,” said Mattingly, a junior international finance and accounting major.

Mattingly said SGA has about $9,000 to give to organizations each semester.

“It’s hard to justify giving all the money we have to various organizations,” Mattingly said. “With their program coming up around Spring Break, and the sizable amount of their members, we felt a reasonable amount they could raise on their own was around 75 percent.”

Hawkins, a senior biology major, said she was pleased with the voting results.

“The event allows students to meet other schools and people in the profession and get them prepared for the profession they’re going to face in the future,” Hawkins said.

Two other bills were introduced Tuesday night.

Communications chairwoman, Corrie Lockhart, a sophomore advertising and public relations major, submitted a bill to make the communications committee a standing committee in SGA. Moleski introduced a bill to equip the SGA offices with new computers.

Both bills will be voted on next Tuesday.