It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Community Senate. Let me fill you all in. First off, this week we’ve been holding budget hearings, the preliminary step in determining next year’s club budgets. Each club had the opportunity to propose a budget and present it to a committee made up of current and former Senate executives.

Due to some recent changes and improvements in the process, hearings proceeded smoothly and painlessly for everyone involved. We managed to go through all 40 clubs, giving each group enough time to go through their proposal and answer questions.

Though we’d love to be able to give each club the full amount that they requested, we unfortunately can’t afford to do so. As a result, we have a difficult process ahead of us as we try to balance our financial resources with the needs of each club.

For those of you who submitted proposals, I hope you understand that we most likely will not be able to meet your entire request. However, please also understand that we will do our best to provide you with the resources necessary to fulfill your goals for the coming year.

We will make our decisions by the April 26 Senate meeting, at which point the full Senate will have the opportunity to look over the budget and ask questions.

Secondly, the new executive council ran our first Senate meeting last week, with great success. Largely due to the publicity efforts of a certain group of Binford hall residents, it was the largest Senate meeting that I’ve ever attended.

The hot topic of the evening was the fate of the “pink pyramid,” the now-infamous structure erected a couple of weeks ago outside Binford hall. Following several acts of vandalism to the monument, rumors were circulating about the administration’s plans to take it down – perhaps a logical decision regarding an unauthorized structure, but one much protested by the student body.

The administration did indeed have plans to take the structure down, but these plans were delayed when the students made their concerns heard.

Due entirely to efforts on the part of the pyramid’s creators and fans, the administration agreed to let the pyramid remain a part of the Guilford Community at least through the end of the semester. At that point, there are several options, including relocating it to a permanent resting spot in the Meadows, or holding it in storage for next year.

It was really great to have so many people attend the meeting, and to see the power of the student voice when organized behind a specific issue. That’s what Senate is for, people, so please keep bringing us your issues.

Finally, our last Senate meeting of the semester will be held this coming Wednesday, April 26, at 7:00 p.m. in Boren Lounge. At this meeting, we’ll make the final decisions about next year’s club budgets, and then have the opportunity to talk about our goals for next year. Food will be provided, and it will be a fun break from studying.