Student senate covered a broad agenda during titsmeeting Wednesday and discussed plans for voter registration and education, a disaster relief fund and the upcoming Stanford pep rally in Purcell Pavilion.
Social Concerns chair Pat McCormick said efforts for voter registration and education kicked off Monday with a standing-room-only crowd for the lecture "Pizza, Pop and Politics: Midterm Elections 2010."
"The way that we have developed [voter registration] in terms of an action plan splits into three tiers," McCormick said. "We have spent a lot of time researching this because it is really a priority."
The plan includes education on election issues for all voters, voter registration for residents of Indiana and encouraging out-of-state students to participate in midterm elections in the best way possible, McCormick said.
Those students who are not residents of Indiana may legally switch their residency to Indiana and vote in local elections, but this change could be problematic when transitioning back to their home state, McCormick said.
"State laws vary in terms of switching your permanent residency," McCormick said. "We are encouraging everyone who is thinking about switching their residency to Indiana to register here to meet with someone who can give them legal specifics."
Oversight chair Paige Becker said her committee is planning a disaster relief fund that would help the University reach out financially after a crisis.
"The fund would act somewhat like a church charity fund," Becker said. "It would be a continuous charity fund to be accessed in the event of a national or international disaster."
Student clubs could also petition to use the fund to finance projects and trips to areas in need of aid, Becker said.
Senators also talked about the details of the upcoming home game weekend.
The Stanford pep rally on Friday will bring the student body back to Purcell Pavilion, student body president Catherine Soler said.
Each dorm will not have a designated seating area, so students should arrive as early as possible with their residence hall before the pep rally begins at 6 p.m., she said.
"We will definitely have good conversations next week about what format we like best for pep rallies," Soler said.
Feedback from the Stanford pep rally will continue efforts to host pep rallies that are more oriented toward students, Soler said.
