A.S. BRIEF: 12-08-08

Kowalow seeks endorsement in saving pub
Last week’s council meeting was visited by a group of students who lobbied Associated Students to save Louie’s Suds & Sun Pub. Their spokesman, psychology senior Joseph Kowalow, presented A.S. with a large folder, which he said represented 2,000 signatures.

Louie’s Pub will most likely have to move off campus when Aztec Center closes for renovations for the Modern Space project.

Kowalow’s message was twofold: He respectfully but firmly called on A.S. to support relocating the pub while telling the administration, which Kowalow said was improperly guiding A.S. opinion, to “back off.”

“You’re here to represent (student) interests, not the interests of the administration,” Kowalow said. “These students have demanded that you either support this initiative or we will start an organization that actually will accurately represent the wants and needs (of students).”

Kowalow also chided the university for having no clear plans to relocate businesses when Aztec Center closes next year.

A.S. President James Poet said he was not going to allow the council to debate the subject at that time, but he did open the floor for questions.

Health & Human Services Representative Kelley Stewart asked if A.S. has control over allowing Louie’s Pub to stay. Poet said A.S. does not have any control over whether or not Louie’s Pub will remain. While the Modern Space project was planned by A.S. and voted on by students, it is Aztec Shops that will eventually decide what franchises will be included in Modern Space.

Kowalow said he was aware of that, but he wanted A.S. support in saving the pub. The council made no decisions at that time.

Green Love proposal passed
The third time appears to be the charm for Erica Johnson, the A.S. Green Commissioner, tasked with spearheading the Green Love initiative. After three weeks spent fine-tuning her ideas, A.S. approved her most recent round of proposals for greening the campus in the upcoming spring semester.

Green Love will be soliciting students to sign a pledge saying they will commit to recycling all products such as plastics and glass, use reusable bags for shopping and to abstain from buying bottled water “whenever possible.”
According to Johnson, these green recruits will serve as models for the rest of the campus by spreading the green message to others and wearing a commitment wristband, which will be visible to other students.

One councilmember was worried whether participating in the pledge would be mandatory, but Johnson assured A.S. that no councilmembers would be forced to sign the pledge.
Johnson arrived at her latest round of changes after consulting with Aztec Shops about a controversial proposal to encourage students to abstain from purchasing water bottles — a big seller for Aztec Shops. After recommending a slight language change to the proposal, Aztec Shops gave its support to the measure.