The student senate meeting lasted nearly an hour and the only resolution passed was a unanimous approval to purchase cards to send to the Student Association at Northern Illinois University.

“There’s stuff going on in the committees only,” said Student Senate Speaker Megan Ogulnick. “We’re working real hard on developing the legislation for upcoming meetings. Last week, we actually had some larger discussion filled bills.”

A pile of cards was sent around the table for senators to sign or write personal messages. Leah Pietraszewski, student vice president for business affairs, was the author of the resolution, but Ogulnick will be leading a weeklong campaign to remember the victims from Northern.

She said student senators will be handing out ribbons and collecting donations all next week, and a candle light vigil will be held on Sunday.

In committee reports, Karen Armour told the senate she’s disappointed that only three senators signed up for her senator ride-along program. Student Senator Sarah Shaw will be the first to do the ride-along and will do so on Wednesday.

Armour worked with the internal affairs committee to get ride-along time counted a weekly office hour. She also told the senate that only four surveys pertaining to bus usage were completed in the past two weeks.

The Shuttle Bus committee is doing research to determine if another bus is needed.

“It’s just been handed out in the wrong locations,” Armour said. “We need to get to student during the busier hours of the day.”

Tornado relief project

A U-hall truck drove from Effingham to Eastern and loaded collected donation items for the approximately 700 Union University students who were displaced during a Feb. 5 tornado in Jackson Tenn.

Ashley Hubbard is a former student of Union and current Effingham resident. She said two Rotary clubs from Effingham paid for the U-hall and that she will be collecting donations from local churches today before she drives to Jackson, Tenn.

Even though she doesn’t attend union anymore, she said she’s compelled to help her former neighbors.

“I still have a lot of friends there and it was my home for two years,” Hubbard said. “So essentially, I’m helping family in need.”

According to Amanda Raz, the hallway outside the Orientation office became backed with donations between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., which was more donations than the first six days of collection.

She said before Wednesday, there were only about four boxes of donated items. However, one such community member from Winzor drove to Eastern to donate two-dozen garbage bags full of clothing. The collection of items consisted of exactly what Raz, and partners Tim Cocagne and Rich Higginbotham, asked for – bedding supplies, non-perishable foods, clothing and toiletries.

“I’m very impressed,” Hubbard said. “I didn’t believe Tim when he panicked and called me to make sure I was bringing the U-hall.”

Hubbard will take the donated items to the West Jackson Baptist Church and the main drop off location on-campus. She said the music department is located in the church and a lot of supplies will go to music students.

Because of such a large delivery, Hubbard said she made sure to notify both locations that she would be arriving.

Rick Kambic can be reached at rwkambic@eiu.edu or 581-7942.

Eastern students Amanda Raz (left), Tim Cocagne and former Union student Ashley Hubbard transfer donated items from the Orientation office to a U-Haul truck parked outside the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union on Feb. 20. The items will benefit stud

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Student government Vice President Levi Bulgar updates the members of the student senate on the new prices quoted for upgrading the computers in the Student Government offices Wednesday night in the Arcola Tuscola room in the MLK Jr. Student Union. (John B

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