by Jacob Solis

SENATE BILL 83: Center for Student Engagement Remodel Clears Crucial First Hurdle

In a unanimous vote, the senate fast-tracked Senate Bill 83 which would allow Associated Students of the University of Nevada president Caden Fabbi $22,800 to pay for the design of a remodel of the ASUN Center for Student Engagement.

Currently, the Center for Student Engagement houses most ASUN operations, including offices for ASUN elected officials, student publications and the ASUN food pantry. Fabbi has expressed, however, that he wants the Center for Student Engagement to be a space where all students can come and work together.

To accomplish this, the remodel would rearrange office space inside the Center for Student Engagement.

“We need a collaborative workspace for students,” Fabbi said. “The Joe Crowley Student Union is likely going to be expanded in the next few years. Knowing that and supporting that, I think that we need to be able to accommodate within our offices in order to be able to serve that larger student population.”

Though Fabbi asserted that there is no actual estimate for what the remodel would cost, he gave a rough figure of $150,000 to be taken from the ASUN capital fund.

The Center for Student Engagement last underwent a remodel in 2012 when the so-called “Freshman Hub” was added. The hub, which includes whiteboard walls, computers and lounge space, is frequently empty and only ever utilized during finals, according to Fabbi.

The remodel is expected to take place over winter break and should be complete by the start of the spring semester.

SENATE RESOLUTION 83: ASUN Officially Throws Support Behind WPR FM Station

The senate unanimously supported Wolf Pack Radio’s latest attempt to acquire an FM radio station with Senate Resolution 83.

However, while the eventual vote on S.R. 83 came out in WPR’s favor, both assistant director for student engagement James Beattie and director for student engagement Sandra Rodriguez expressed concern over some of the resolution’s original wording.

“I don’t know if this would necessarily work within our system,” Beattie said. “I think it may become a roadblock to acquiring the FM station if pushed to the president in this light.”

Previous attempts to acquire an FM license for WPR have failed largely because of an FCC policy that has prevented the University of Nevada, Reno from having two FM licenses (the first of which already belongs to KUNR, the local NPR station). As things stand now, WPR would rely on the Reno Bike Project to be the official owner of the FM license.

However, both WPR director Tom Snider and the original draft of S.R. 83 noted that for the license to be transferred to WPR, WPR would need to be an independent entity separate from ASUN. That fine print may complicate things down the line, as Beattie noted, but for the time being, WPR has the blessing of ASUN to pursue an FM station.

Jacob Solis can be reached at jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @TheSagebrush