Joseph Elerson

Student Government Appropriations Committee officials announced a co-sponsorship clause added to their current guidelines for the spring semester.
Currently, SGA guidelines do not have a clause stating the co-sponsorship policy.

The co-sponsorship policy allows organizations to collaborate an event, activity or project with another organization and request funding as one unit.
SGA treasurer Andrew Barnson said after three months of intensive revisions getting this policy for the University is beneficial.

University officials promised Wednesday to take action on concerns students addressed during a two-hour town hall meeting including the possibility of letting student organizations use the Ornelas Activity Center for free.

Around 50 students attended the event and questioned a panel of five University officials about the current MAPP test, dining services, space for student activities and student life.

Voters within the city of Winona made history Tuesday allowing for legalization of alcohol sales within the city limits. Winona becomes the first jurisdiction within Smith County to become “wet” since the county went “dry” in 1939, according to a Tyler Morning Telegraph article.

“If we do this right, I believe it will be a great benefit for our town,” Winona mayor Rusty Smith said. “If we don’t do it right, it could be a detriment to our town. Regardless of which side of the alcohol issue you were on, we must all work together now to make this a positive influence on our town.”

City of Tyler Animal Control officials caught their sixth skunk of the year Thursday morning outside of the Administration Building. Charles Petrovich, University police officer, called it in to Animal Control with City of Tyler Animal Control Officer Sharon Smith arriving on the scene.

A new Statewide Voluntary Mechanical Engineering Articulation Compact should help mechanical engineering student’s graduate on time, college officials said.

The compact, signed by University President Rodney Mabry and Tyler Junior College President Mike Metke on Oct. 5 lets students take classes in junior college and transfer them from junior college to University.

A stretch of land along Old Omen Road and Spur 248 has University officials vowing to find ways to furnish more “green space” for intramural athletes. A $625,000 donation courtesy of Mary John Spence in September of 2004 helped University officials purchase an 11.3-acre tract of land for expansion of the campus.

Overcrowding during spring commencements prompted University officials to implement three new procedures this semester to ensure all guests will be able to view the event. So many guests appeared during at least one spring ceremony that police had to escort the overflow outside Vaughn Auditorium in the R. Don Cowan Fine and Performing Arts Center, which seats 2,000.

In the future, officials plan to limit the number of guests a graduate may invite, post more live feeds at other campus venues and prohibit students with less than the required 120 hours from participating as graduates.

A $1.6 million student services budget had 11 programs receive increases or decreases during the summer with the addition of the drum line. Student Life and Leadership and Model U.N. received the biggest increases.

Dr. Peter Fos, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, said permanent funding through the Office of Academic Affairs is needed for the Model U.N. and moved the funding out of student fees. “There is so much value in the Model U.N. and we felt since it was more of an academic affairs area that we would take on the funding,” Fos said.

Most people would want to avoid the courts during a hot Texas summer, but the University’s top-ranking tennis duo of Dustin Phillips and David Ashlock can’t seem to stay away.