More voter registration drives are set before the upcoming elections, the Student Senate announced at their meeting Wednesday.

The three-day voter registration drives will be in the Library Quad.

For two days, the location will be in front of the Doudna Fine Arts Center, with the third one being held on the opposite side of the quad in front of the Triad residence halls.

Maralea Negron, executive vice president of the Student Senate, announced that 275 people were registered to vote in Coles County during this past week’s voter registration drives.

The Senate’s goal is to get 500 students registered in the Coles County area.

Negron said this is the goal for this semester because of Eastern’s lower enrollment numbers.

“We have a little over 7,000 students on campus so 500 is not a big goal,” Negron said

In past years, voter registration numbers have been as low as 100 and as high as 1,000. Negron said after these drives, more voter registration events are not planned because it is close to the registration deadline.

Election day is Nov. 8, and the Bridge Lounge in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union will serve as a polling place.

There will also be a forum on the Democratic and Republican parties platforms scheduled from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at the 7th Street Underground in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Student Body President Catie Witt said the Admissions Office is reaching out to student leaders on campus and telling them to speak at their high schools and let students know about Eastern.

Witt said college students going home to talk with high school students does a lot of good as far as recruitment.

Luke Young, student vice president of academic affairs, talked about discussions he plans to have with the Registrar’s Office about the grade appeals process and how to improve it.

Young also announced the next “Prowlin’ with the Prez” event.

It is called “Pumpkins with the Prez” and will run from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24.

Young said Eastern President David Glassman will be there at 4:30 p.m.

Festivities will include hay bales and a pumpkin-decorating contest.

The Senate also went over Robert’s Rules of Order during their committee reports, so new senators will know how the meetings will work, how to use time cards when recording their mandatory office hours and other house items.

Sam Nusbaum can be reached at 581-2812 or scnusbaum@eiu.edu.