Legislation was passed altering spending regulations for ASUN’s capital fund and a new senator was appointed to fill the vacant College of Business senate seat at the Nov. 5 meeting of the Senate of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada (ASUN).
Legislation
“S.B. 93 – An Act to Amend the Capital Fund Requirements in the Statues of the Associated Students” is a bill that reduces the required minimum balance held in ASUN’s capital fund to $250,000 from the original $500,000. Speaker Pro Tempore Dillon Moss described it as procedural legislation that allows the senate to use the capital fund without violating the senate’s bylaws.
The capital fund is a separate financial account from the ASUN general fund. It gathers revenue from the Wolf Shop, and can only be used for certain expenditures like the technology replacement the senate approved a few weeks ago. College of Engineering Senator Caden Kuster said that when the account was established, it regularly had well over a million dollars in it and the $500,000 minimum balance law wasn’t an issue. Now, a lack of revenue means that money is sitting unused in the capital account because the senate cannot spend under the half million threshold. Kuster continued, saying that the only expenditure coming out of that account as of now is a $200,000 yearly rent payment to the Wolf Shop.
Moss said the capital fund was an excellent way to invest in campus, presenting the computer lab in the William J. Raggio Building as an example.
The bill passed unanimously.
New College of Business Senator Appointed
Two candidates pitched themselves for the open College of Business senate seat, Luke Calderon and Lance Zuniga. Public comment was given by Mark Marchlewski, president of the College of Business student council, in support of Calderon for the position.
Senators favored Calderon during discussion, citing his connections to the College of Business student council, enthusiasm and experience with conducting outreach. Calderon won the majority vote and was appointed as the new senator for the College of Business.
Presentations
A presentation was given to the senate by UNR Dean of Libraries Catherine Cardwell, who spoke about the libraries’ push to implement open educational resources in as many courses as possible. She also offered her assistance as a liaison for the PACK AI team, saying she would answer any questions about the program that she could and to relay the senate’s concerns back to the PACK AI team.
Cardwell said that the libraries recognized the rising cost of education and had been working with faculty to see if they could implement open educational resources into their syllabi as an alternative to expensive textbooks. Open educational resources are readings and textbooks that students don’t have to pay for. Cardwell said that they’ve made great progress with this and are pleased with the amount of money that they’ve been able to save students.
Cardwell also said she was a part of the team working on PACK AI. She described the university libraries as “critical adopters” who are seeking to be AI-literate. Cardwell said that as someone who had seen the introduction of the internet to education and all that has stemmed from it, she didn’t believe that AI was the end of the world and said AI is already implemented into the libraries’ online search feature, though its use is optional.
She also informed the senate that the PACK AI program is working on a more informative website which will be published by next semester.
College of Engineering Senator Caden Kuster asked if professors would be required to lay out AI guidelines specifying their expectations for how students can use it in their courses. Cardwell couldn’t say, but mentioned that the provost has brought “excellent speakers” to campus to talk to faculty about AI that she thinks were insightful.
College of Liberal Arts Senator Miriam Dayton asked if the university was thinking about informing students that putting their own work into AI surrenders their intellectual property. Cardwell said they were talking about it and recognized it as a concern.
Another presentation was given by the office of financial aid and scholarships, during which Dr. Jill Heston, the university’s senior vice provost, said there has been growth in undergraduate enrollment and enrollment in UNR’s dual credit program in high schools. However, she added that enrollment in graduate programs has seen a decline, partially due to decreased interest from international students and trouble securing visas for those who are interested.
Geoff Green, the associate director of the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office, said the university was aware of the One Big Beautiful Bill act and its impacts on graduate student funding; He added that his office is paying close attention to new developments.
Riley Overstreet can be reached via email at ro*********@*nr.edu.
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