Student Government amended the 2019 Election Code as well as the election timeline and the seat apportionment to prepare for the next election cycle at their Wednesday meeting.

The Senate reviewed the election apportionment of Senate seats for the next election cycle. The number of students enrolled in each college dictates the number of seats they have at the table, and that number must be approved every year by the senators. The number of seats will not change from this current year to the next.

The apportionments were approved with a vote of 23-0-0.

The election timeline, a breakdown for deadlines and important dates in the election cycle, was reviewed and approved with a vote of 23-0-0.

Senate went over the election code for the upcoming campaigns and election and added amendments. The code details how the election will run and outlines guidelines for the candidates and the consequences for violating the code.

The biggest change from the previous year is a requirement that students run their presidential and vice presidential campaigns through the Student Government campaign fund, which is capped at $6,000 to be distributed evenly between candidates.

Sen. Jacob Schrader proposed an amendment that adds back in the option for students to privately fund their own campaigns, rather than taking funding from Student Government. It requires 150 extra signatures on their campaign bid to allow them to privately fund. The amendment was approved.

Sen. Kaitlyn Sanchez proposed an amendment that requires privately-funded campaigns to complete an “application process” to be able to use private funding. In this process, the campaigns would document the donations they receive and report them to the Election Commission to approve or deny. Doing so would help cut down on partisan influence in Student Government elections.

The amendment was changed by Sen. Sanchez to instead require documentation from donators, called a “gift in-kind letter,” to certify that the source in question holds true to the policy of Student Government. This new amendment was rejected.

Sen. Wyatt Scheu proposed an amendment that banned campaign slates from accepting funding from politically-partisan clubs or organizations. He amended the bill to ban campaigns from receiving funding from sources whose ideals may be influential. The amendment was rejected.

Sen. Analese Hauber proposed an amendment that would require campaigns to provide “gift in-kind letters” and copies of the checks for the Election Commission, and allow the list of checks and letters to be displayed to the public if possible. The amendment was accepted.

Sen. Courtney Beringer proposed an amendment to change the language of the election code from he/him/his and she/her/hers to they/them/theirs. The amendment was accepted.

Sanchez proposed an amendment that would clarify that President and Vice President candidates cannot exceed $2,000 on their campaign, even if they are also running for a senator position; senators get $300 to run their campaigns. The amendment was rejected.

Schrader proposed an amendment striking out a phrase that requires third parties campaigning on the behalf of a slate to notify the candidate that they are campaigning for. The amendment was rejected.

Schrader also proposed an amendment prohibiting candidates to enter into any legally binding contract about the policies that the candidate will support if elected. The amendment was accepted.

Beringer proposed an amendment allowing the two required hours of outreach to be satisfied through events and other social media outreach activities. The amendment was accepted.

The 2019 Election Code was passed with a vote of 23-0-2.

During open forum, three were three presentations.

Jen Leptien from ISU Learning Communities spoke about an initiative on campus called “CyThx”. The purpose of the initiative is to give thanks to members of the Iowa State communities that student feel have made an impact in their educational careers. Students submit a form to nominate a person explaining why the person deserves thanks, and CyThx will arrange a thank-you to be sent to them.

Sen. Ian Steenhoek talked about bridging the gap between students and the Ames community, and encouraged the Senate to bring forward ideas that might help.

Sen. Vishesh Bhatia spoke about the parking lot camera issues for cameras near residence hall lots, and he informed the Senate that it was unlikely that cameras could be obtained due to the low number of issues that have been reported in the past year.

Melissa Draves and Alexa Gormley spoke about the Women in Stem Initiative. They are looking to put on a week’s worth of events in the spring to encourage and promote women participating in STEM-related majors.

Scheu was seated to the Public Relations committee and was approved unanimously. Sen. Scheu said that he was looking forward to helping streamline the process of the Student Government pop-up events.

Beringer introduced a bill that focuses on minimizing the 464,000 plastic bags that go to waste from campus establishments, and asked that ISU-affiliated locations and Panda Express in the Memorial Union encourage customers to provide their own bags or only provide a plastic bag upon request. The bill also proposes a potential incentive, such as a discount for students who provide their own bag, that would be implemented at the discretion of the establishment.

“Initially, I wanted this to be a complete ban on plastic bags, but ISU Dining was not on board with that,” Sen. Beringer said.

Sen. Madison Muller disagreed with the discount for people who brought their own bags due to the possibility of that privilege being abused. Senator Kaitlyn Sanchez proposed that particular resolution be struck from the bill, but the amendment was denied, as a resolution is just a suggestion and can be denied or altered by the dinging locations.

Sen. Audrey Hauber proposed that the ISU Bookstore be added to the list of establishments to consider implementing the bill, as the Bookstore also hands out a lot of bags to students. The amendment was denied, but a new bill specifically worded for the Bookstore may be brought to the table in the future.

The bill was approved with unanimous consent.

Sanchez introduced a bill looking to abolish amendments to the Chapter 4 by-laws, saying that they unnecessarily elongated conversations and are no longer relevant to the way Student Government runs.

The bill passed with a vote of 23-0-2.

The Rare Disease Awareness Club requested $106 to help with their campaign. The club, which is new to Iowa State, spreads awareness for rare conditions that are faced by one in ten Americans. The funding would be used for general printing and mass emails to help promote their club’s mission and create awareness for the disease that the club has chosen to highlight that month.

The funding bill passed with a vote of 24-0-0.

SIR Magazine is asking Student Government for $9,580. The fashion and lifestyle publication, which is free to students, is looking for funding to help lower publication and printing costs for their fall and spring publications.

The funding bill passed with a vote of 23-0-0.

The Intervarsity Christian Fellowship requested $900 to help cover the registration costs of six students to attend the Urbana National Christian Conference. The conference in St. Louis costs $515 per person, and the club is asking for $150 per student.

There was debate over whether they should fund a religious belief group when Student Government does not provide funding to political groups. Mueller explained that while political groups are specifically outlined in the bylaws, religious groups are not and are thus funding-eligible.

“This seems to be a general interest niche that exists on Iowa State campus, so we want to enable them to pursue that interest,” Finance Director Seth Carter said.

The funding bill passed with a vote of 24-0-0.

The Groove Drumline Club requested $4,060.67 to fund replacement parts for the club and to help lower advertising and uniform shirts costs. The club works to bring arts and education together by providing clinics and performances.

“We hit things for fun, and when you hit things, they break. We just need to get new sticks and drumheads and make sure everything works well so we can provide a good experience for the group,” said Rocco Carson, treasurer of Groove Drumline club.

The funding bill passed with a vote of 23-0-0.

Grandma Mojo’s Moonshine Revival asked for $965 to help fund marketing materials and the cost of the Maintenance Shop staff for a festival they are hosting later in the year. The Improv Festival would bring together improv teams from Iowa State, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa and Drake University, in hopes of making it an annual festival.

The funding bill passed with a vote of 24-0-0.

For more information or to contact your senator, visit stugov.iastate.edu. The senate meetings are open to the public on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union.