ASG senators plan to override Looney's veto
Eric Evridge
Issue date: 2/18/08 Section: News
The legislation was meant to start a dialogue, Holloway said.
"My thoughts echo Jacob's comments," said Tom Zhang, the other author of the bill.
Other senators and registered student organizations were behind the legislation, Holloway said. Sen. Sam Hall and Sen. Jake Burns were helping, as well as Sierra Club, Campus Greens and Dr. Wolf, an environmental science professor, Holloway said.
"Looney talks about the diversion rate that I used. It was old data I used from, like 2005, but even at 31 percent, we're still behind the state mandate," Holloway said. "The state mandate is 40 percent, but it might have even gone up by now. We're only making reasonable requests to the administration."
Looney vetoed the bill partly because he was concerned that money to pay fo programs would come from a tuition increase or a student fee, according to an article in the Traveler.
The senators said this wasn't the intention because there were no mandates stated in the bill.
"Part of what the committee was doing was that we wanted to investigate where all the money companies were giving the administration, all that money was going for sustainability, if any of that could actually be diverted to the recycling program on campus," Holloway said. "All we're saying is the ASG lobby to the UA administration and facilities management to increase the current budget for the UA recycling program."
Looney said it wasn't a "good idea" to send letters to our representatives and senators asking for money, he said.
"Wasn't a good idea…everyone's jaws were dropped," Zhang said.
"Looney said you shouldn't go to your representatives with everything, and that if you cry wolf too many times, they won't be there when students need them most. Well, what is their job, then? We've never written any letter to our elected officials. How can they hear us if we don't talk to them? Senators and congressmen are asking their constituents to send in requests for earmarks, but it's time sensitive and we need to get a request in by March," Holloway said. "If we don't we could be delayed in getting federal assistance. It's free money and we're running out of time."
"We could write a letter ourselves, but it's much more powerful when it comes from the student government on behalf of the student body," Holloway said. "They want us to send requests for earmarks. We're trying to communicate with them and they're telling us not to communicate with them."
"It's actually a courtesy to him [Looney], that we asked him to write the letter for the committee. We're authorized to write letters with the ASG letterhead," Zhang said.
"I thought it'd be much more powerful to have Nate [Looney] write the letter. He's the representative voice of the student body," Holloway said.
"It's been really frustrating trying to get something meaningful out of our student government," Holloway said.
"My thoughts echo Jacob's comments," said Tom Zhang, the other author of the bill.
Other senators and registered student organizations were behind the legislation, Holloway said. Sen. Sam Hall and Sen. Jake Burns were helping, as well as Sierra Club, Campus Greens and Dr. Wolf, an environmental science professor, Holloway said.
"Looney talks about the diversion rate that I used. It was old data I used from, like 2005, but even at 31 percent, we're still behind the state mandate," Holloway said. "The state mandate is 40 percent, but it might have even gone up by now. We're only making reasonable requests to the administration."
Looney vetoed the bill partly because he was concerned that money to pay fo programs would come from a tuition increase or a student fee, according to an article in the Traveler.
The senators said this wasn't the intention because there were no mandates stated in the bill.
"Part of what the committee was doing was that we wanted to investigate where all the money companies were giving the administration, all that money was going for sustainability, if any of that could actually be diverted to the recycling program on campus," Holloway said. "All we're saying is the ASG lobby to the UA administration and facilities management to increase the current budget for the UA recycling program."
Looney said it wasn't a "good idea" to send letters to our representatives and senators asking for money, he said.
"Wasn't a good idea…everyone's jaws were dropped," Zhang said.
"Looney said you shouldn't go to your representatives with everything, and that if you cry wolf too many times, they won't be there when students need them most. Well, what is their job, then? We've never written any letter to our elected officials. How can they hear us if we don't talk to them? Senators and congressmen are asking their constituents to send in requests for earmarks, but it's time sensitive and we need to get a request in by March," Holloway said. "If we don't we could be delayed in getting federal assistance. It's free money and we're running out of time."
"We could write a letter ourselves, but it's much more powerful when it comes from the student government on behalf of the student body," Holloway said. "They want us to send requests for earmarks. We're trying to communicate with them and they're telling us not to communicate with them."
"It's actually a courtesy to him [Looney], that we asked him to write the letter for the committee. We're authorized to write letters with the ASG letterhead," Zhang said.
"I thought it'd be much more powerful to have Nate [Looney] write the letter. He's the representative voice of the student body," Holloway said.
"It's been really frustrating trying to get something meaningful out of our student government," Holloway said.
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