Senate OKs funding for campus projects

By Karina Rajtar
Co-Editor in Chief

Each year, students, faculty, staff and administration can recommend capital improvements for Saint Mary’s University.

Capital improvements, changes made to the physical structure of the university, are done by both the university and the Student Senate. Anyone on campus can request a Student Senate capital improvement by filling out a form that is available to everyone or by contacting Jason Richter, assistant dean of students for activities, leadership and service.

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“They (capital improvements) definitely impact students in a positive way,” said Richter. He said that printers in the residence halls, weight room equipment and just the general look of campus (often through landscaping projects) have been improved through requests.

Capital improvements done by the Student Senate are generally funded by the money taken from the laundry machines. This means that the senate usually has approximately $20,000 to use each year. This year, $40,000 was allocated to capital improvements, according to Richter, because of money left over from an activity fee surplus a few years ago.

The senate does capital improvements in two rounds, one at the end of February and one at the end of April. Richter said this is done so that maintenance requests that need to be planned for the summer can be passed by the senate early.

In this year’s first round, the senate approved $1,900 for four kayaks and paddles for the outdoor leadership office, $4,430 for recycling bins for outside around campus, $2,000 for landscaping around the new track and field complex and $6,400 for tables and chairs for the new gazebo.