Government of the Student Body President Ben Golding officially welcomed the 2000-2001 senate at its second meeting Wednesday night with his State of the Student Body Address, setting the stage for the future of GSB.

With just over a week since his inauguration, Golding laid out his vision for the future of GSB and outlined the major areas of student concern.

During their campaign, Golding and GSB Vice President Lisa Dlouhy focused on developing a strategic plan to create continuity for GSB.

“It will be a living document that we can sit down with and say, ‘These are the issues that we, as ISU students, feel are the most important,'” Golding said. “Hopefully we can build upon the foundation that we have already begun to lay.”

A major issue Golding highlighted in his speech was the campuswide concern over the future of the Memorial Union.

“There are drastic changes in the future here for the Memorial Union,” he said. “Right now, we’re standing in a building that is owned by the alumni and the students of Iowa State. It is a separate entity from the rest of the university.”

Golding said that, should the university give financial support for renovations and take control of the Memorial Union, the students and alumni no longer would have the final say in MU decisions.

He encouraged senators to seek student input and opinions about the MU.

He also said senators need to find out how their constituents feel about the possibility of separating tuition and student fees. Last fall, the state Board of Regents approved a proposal by the University of Iowa which would separate student fees from tuition, and Golding said he is concerned Iowa State may follow suit.

“We need to know where the students stand in the negotiation and where the fees will be spent,” he said.

Finally, Golding addressed the issue of free speech on campus, which was debated in the 1999-2000 senate.

“We need to find out how important are the students’ opinions when it comes to the administration level of the university,” Golding said. “Student rights right now are a very hot issue on campus.”

Golding told the senators they need to be open and responsive to the concerns of the students.

“Bring their opinions and feelings back to this room,” he said. “This room right here embodies the voice of every student on campus. There’s so much we can do to represent the student body. And we’re on the brink.”