Jacob Foster wants action.

The senior English major is concerned with student action on issues in Darfur.

Foster said that China’s involvement in the Darfur conflict is something China doesn’t want to be associated with and is trying to keep its image clean for the upcoming 2008 Olympics. Because of China’s role in the conflict, many organizations and businesses are protesting by removing their support from the Olympics.

Foster is speaking at tonight’s student senate meeting with hopes of convincing Eastern students to find a way to get involved in the protest.

“I’ll throw a few suggestions out there,” Foster said, “but I’m hoping to start a discussion, since not a lot people know what’s going on with Darfur.”

In other business, senate members will also vote tonight on a proposal to pay for eight students to go to the Illinois Board of Higher Education-Student Advisory Committee meeting later this month.

Centered on the vote will be a discussion with the eight representatives on what will be discussed at the event, as well as what will happen.

“I would expect that the senate wouldn’t want to pay so much money for a bill without having some sort of discussion,” Martinelli said.

IBHE-SAC is where student representatives from all the Illinois colleges and universities meet to discuss effective and potential new policies for their schools. IBHE-SAC’s first meeting is taking place on Sept. 29 and 30 at DePaul University in Chicago.

Martinelli also plans to meet with some of the IBHE-SAC representatives sometime before the actual event to get a clear idea of what the members will be expected to do.

Future events taking shape in student government include two new ways for students to provide feedback both to student government and the university.

Student Senate member Dave Keyes, chair of the Student Relations Committee, has plans for an event called “Bark for Beer,” which will be an outdoor tent where students can get a free root beer by saying what they would like to see from Student Government.

“Bark for Beer” is planned for Sept. 26 but has yet to be voted by the senate.

Also in the works from the Student Government is a combined comments and complaints system set up for students, particularly in the shuttle bus and academics areas. The system is intended to be a way for students to provide comments via e-mail to people in charge of those services.

The Student Senate meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in the Arcola/Tuscola Room on the third floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.