On Wednesday, Nov. 9, Dean for Students Michael Orlando joined the Student Government and the representatives of Siena Heights’ clubs for the Town Hall at Rueckert Auditorium. Orlando presented a proposal for a new Career Services center on behalf of the Executive Board of the Administration (ECA). Representing the ECA, Orlando asked the Student Government to consider a $30,000 allocation for the Career Services office.

This year, Student Government had a carry-over budget of $22,854. This funding has been built from past years of student service fees paid by the College of Arts and Sciences’ (CAS) students. According to Orlando’s proposal, “Career Services would potentially serve those who funded this carryover, but are no longer here.”

Orlando said the $30,000 “would help specifically to fund a Career Services center.” He said it would bring all Career Services staff to one location, but also provide more resources like a resource center, an interview site for both in-person interviews or teleconferencing and a place for employers to come to campus to generate opportunities for career possibilities. Those services would be available to traditional undergraduate students, graduate students, adult and professional students and alumni.

On Nov. 13, the Student Government President Roccola Chesnick brought the proposal to the allocation meeting, where the club’s organizations could vote on ECA’s request. Chesnick said ECA, “brought the proposal to the Student Government E-Board at first, but we obviously couldn’t decide by ourselves. We had to open it up to the student body.”

The voting process consisted of three options. “Yes” would mean giving Career Services the $30,000 right away. “No” would deny the proposal, and to abstain from voting would mean postponing the decision until January. With most the votes, the student body decided to deny the proposal.

When asked about the results of the voting, Orlando said, “Student Government has the responsibility to determine how their funds are being spent. This responsibility is to best represent the voice of our student body. My biggest hope for Student Government is for student leaders to fully utilize their funding in strategic, meaningful ways. If Career Services and ECA draft a new proposal with more specific details to support Career Services, I will bring it to Student Government.”