New UA decides to hold all meetings at Chats

The Undergraduate Assembly decided last night to hold all of its meetings in Chats, instead of Houston Hall, in order to appear more open to students interested in the UA. This and an effort to improve attendance were the focal points of the body's first meeting last night, held -- kicking off the new tradition -- in Chats. In response to problems with attendance by members of the body this semester, UA Chairperson and College junior Lance Rogers asked members for comments and ideas on how to ensure that UA representatives go to meetings. "In the past we've had some attendance problems," Rogers said. "That's certainly not going to be the [hallmark] of this UA." UA representative and College junior Christian Hensley called for a "three strikes and you're out" system, under which any member who misses three meetings would be kicked off the body and replaced by a student who ran for UA last week -- and lost. "Our attendance is absolutely critical," he said. "We have a job to do and if you can't do it, we have to find somebody who can." But College sophomore Laurie Moldawer modified the proposal to include excused absences and unexcused absences. Anyone who gave notice of an impending absence to Rogers or UA Secretary Lisa Aspinwall, a Nursing sophomore, would not be penalized, Moldawer added. Rogers said the Steering Committee will work on developing a new attendance policy for approval at a future meeting. "It sounds to me as though you guys really favor a strict policy," he added. Rogers also proposed a liaison system, whereby each member of the UA Steering Committee would meet regularly with four UA members to keep lines of communication open between the committee and the body. "This is the first time the UA has tried this," he said. At the beginning of the meeting, representatives from the other branches of student government explained their branches' functions to the UA. Members of the body also voted to make an excursion to the Great Adventure amusement park on May 1 in order to get to know each other better.

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