Program leaders asked for assistance, a new legislator was elected, a scholarship bill passed, and the proposed 2014 Winter Semester was discussed at the Nov. 18 Oakland University Student Congress (OUSC) meeting. 

Leaders from Oakland University Annual Giving spoke before Student Congress in hopes for their support in a proposed committee. 

Annual Giving is a program that collects gifts of money to go towards things such as scholarships, technology, and curriculum enhancements and Oakland University.

Director Kelly Brault and Assistant Director Adrienne Penney are looking to create a student philanthropy committee in which students can give back to the university and show their gratitude as well. 

Penney wants students to “give back to the university while they’re still here.”

There are over 800 funds that need scholarship donors, according to Penney.

Penney and Brault hope students within the committee could reach out to students, identify projects, and write thank you notes to donors. 

They are looking for members of OUSC to join the committee to begin building a lasting program. 

Bill C.B. 13-10 “OUSC Spirit of the Grizz” scholarship was unanimously passed by Congress. 

Legislator and head of the Scholarship Committee, Madison Kubinski, presented the bill.

 It is a scholarship competition in which students create spirit campaigns by wearing their Grizz gear and post pictures of themselves in it on Instagram and Facebook with the hashtag of OUSC, according to Kubinski

“Whoever has the most votes for their spirit campaigns wins,” Kubinski said.

Participants must be following OUSC on both social media sites. The winners will receive a $250 OUSC Spirit Award as well as a plaque.

Andrew Lauz, a Junior at Oakland University, was unanimously voted into OUSC through a ballot vote. 

Lauz says he has loved the teachers and student body here at OU and because of this he wanted to get involved in student government.

“It would be a sin for me not to give back,” Lauz said. 

He hopes to work on initiatives such as cleaning up OU’s campus, lessening the parking stress with signs for the parking lots, reform the school’s attendance policy, and hold more events for freshmen. 

The 2014 Winter Budget Proposal was reviewed and discussed at the meeting as well. 

Currently, the total planned expenses for the winter semester are $108,095 with the total funds available to OUSC for the semester estimated at $142,000.

Sections of the budget are subject to change and it will be voted on at the next meeting. 

OUSC always welcomes student comments or students that want to get involved in student government.

 Meetings are held every Monday at 4 p.m. at the Oakland Room in the Oakland Center.

Contact Staff Reporter Ali DeRees at [email protected]