Two different organizations requested funds at last week”s ASUI Senate meeting for events designed to positively influence Vandals.
Adonay Berhe, president of the University of Idaho chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), spoke at Wednesday”s meeting on behalf of bill S16-06, which allots a certain amount of money to the Dynamic Engineering Lecture Series. This year”s talk will be held 5-7 p.m. Thursday in the Bruce Pitman Center, and feature Maurice Petty, a marketing manager for HP, as the speaker.
Berhe said NSBE wanted $500 from the senate, which would go toward food at the event. The senate voted unanimously to pass the bill.
Sen. Cruz Botello said he helped draft the legislation with Berhe and sponsored the bill at the meeting.
“I”m hoping students get a lot out of the event itself since right after they can network and talk to the speaker,” Botello said. “Hopefully this will put Vandals in higher places because of the possibilities it brings to our campus.”
Botello said with ASUI funding, the event will now have free dinner – another perk for students attending.
Though the event is the “engineer” lecture series, Berhe said students from any major could benefit from attending.
“We also use the event as a networking platform, so people usually use those connections and try to get jobs and internships at the companies that the speaker comes from,” Berhe said. “It”s not really engineer-focused. We”re not going to talk about formulas and equations. Regardless of your major, every student needs motivation and a little push.”
Berhe said every year the speaker varies based on the company they work for and content they talk about. He said he encourages students to come, regardless of major, to take advantage of all the resources.
“I”m grateful the senate saw the event as worth funding,” Berhe said. “It will provide students with a lot of opportunities.”
A representative from TEDxUIdaho also spoke at Wednesday”s senate meeting regarding the TEDx event to be held April 9.
TEDxUIdaho Curator Carlie Beasley drafted a bill with Sen. Zachary Spence asking ASUI for $1,000 to help sponsor the event. Though the bill won”t be voted on until this week”s senate meeting, Beasley said she wanted senators to be aware of it ahead of time to consider the benefits.
The $1,000 dollars will be put toward food, but Beasley said money isn”t the most important aspect of supporting this bill.
“It”s a really wonderful branding and marketing opportunity for ASUI,” Beasley said. “If a student organization funds TEDx, which is a pretty famous brand, their name gets to be on videos that will be seen worldwide.”
The event will consist of 20 speakers ranging from UI alumni, professors and some local residents, Beasley said. She said not only will senate be supporting inspiration for students, but ASUI will also receive recognition, should they choose to pass the legislation.
“It”s a pretty big deal to sponsor something like this,” Beasley said. “I have a lot of hope that”s what ASUI will choose to do.”
Jessica Gee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JessicaC_Gee