In their final meeting of the semester, Student Government saw a plethora of topics. The Senate heard from the International Student Committee (ISC),  a speech from Ryan Hurley and had a 1985 Iowa State graduate elected to the Supreme Court.  

Though the bill was supposed to be discussed, Mason Zastrow, finance director and senior in political science, announced that the gender-neutral bathroom bill that would have potentially put a bathroom in Lied Recreation Center will be tabled until the fall. 

He added that more time should be given to a bill so important and with large financial implications. 

Tom Sun, senior in computer engineering and treasurer for the ISC, spoke about what the committee is all about. 

The ISC has brought the International Food Fair to Ames, which took place Sunday. It is also responsible for International Week, a week where cultures from all around the world come to Iowa State. 

Sun also touched on some ongoing projects and future plans concerning international students.

“International students pay significantly higher tuition and fees compared to students from Iowa and the U.S. Depending on your citizenship and student status, you may be paying twice or three times more in tuition than a local student,” Sun said. 

Following Sun’s presentation, Ryan Hurley, former Inter-Residence Hall Association senator, took the mic. Hurley started off his speech by echoing some of the initiatives he talked about in last Wednesday’s Senate meeting. 

“The Iowa State Daily, it just needs to have its funding slightly cut,” Hurley said. “They are not publishing physical newspapers.”

Hurley also suggested how much money should be cut from the newspaper and that it should go toward the periodicals department at Parks Library so they can afford more books. 

“I’ve been in the newspaper industry, that is a massive cost (the cost of printing newspapers),” Hurley said. “I think they get 350 thousand per year, don’t quote me on that . . . they could probably be cut down to 50 thousand.”

Hurley’s next two initiatives centered around Student Government being more transparent. He is requesting a “playbook” be provided to the student body and updated weekly so students know what is going on at all times. He also wants on-campus clubs that receive funds from Student Government to provide an expense report on how the provided funds are being used. 

As he stated his final two initiatives, he acknowledged that they were a little far-fetched and bold, but he thinks they would impact campus positively. 

The first is a tool rental program at Iowa State. Speaking about the library in his hometown, Hurley said it would be beneficial for students to rent tools. 

“We already do a lot of fantastic stuff with ISU tech lending,” Hurley said. “We rent out laptops, we can rent out saw blades.”

For his final initiative, Hurley proposed that Lake LaVerne be cleaned up as he has seen beer bottles, cigarettes and other types of garbage.

“You can have me do it,” Hurley said. “Just put some waders on me, I’ll go in.”

The heart of the meeting concerned 18 bills that seated many members of the student body and Senate into several committees and seats. 

Notable positions filled include treasurer, director of sustainability, director of governmental affairs, director of international student experience, election commissioner, director of student services, director of health and wellness, director of academic affairs and ex-officio to the Ames City Council. 

The first bill of the night saw three nominees be elected to the Supreme Court. Emily Huntley, senior in materials engineering, and Thomas Armstrong, junior in political science, were the two undergraduates elected. CeCe Ibson, graduate in political science who received her undergraduate degree in political science from Iowa State in 1985, was also elected. 

It is fair to say Ibson has the most experience with government and the law. 

Ibson first came to Iowa State in 1981 as an undergraduate and served as a GSP senator back then. After graduating with a bachelor degree in 1985, she eventually completed the Iowa Bar exam and has practiced law for 32 years. She started her own law firm in Des Moines in 2010. 

Ibson has worked on several notable cases including the Partnership Press vs. Iowa State Daily case that took place in 1998. 

“That case involved a newspaper that was started by a couple of businessmen who wanted to run the Iowa State Daily out of business,” Ibson said. 

Ibson represented the Daily and the Daily still runs today. 

Ibson also spoke on what she brings to the position. 

“I look at this opportunity as a two-way street,” Ibson said. “I can obviously bring years of experience and education in the law to the position and I would hope to serve as a mentor and friend to those who might be interested in a career within the law. … I want to learn everything I can about how the university functions today and do whatever I can to contribute to one of the finest universities in the country.”