As the spring 2001 semester winds down, so does the student government. This week ASGCC finished approving the remaining line item budgets for next year, proposed amendments to the by-laws, and welcomed newly elected council members.

Most of the committees at Tuesday’s meeting had little to report because of their eagerness to complete the budget.

It had to be tabled for the last two meetings due to lengthy discussions over the Finance Committee’s recommended allotments of money.

“Last week our meeting went two hours,” said Susie Acevedo, vice president of the finance committee.

El Vaquero received $20,000, the Writing Center received $3,200, $875 was granted to the Inter-Organizational Committee (IOC), and $1,000 went to ASGCC supplies.

By the end of the meeting, the council had approved 62 items for next year’s budget.

Oscar Limon, vice president of the campus organizations committee, presented the council with a list of guidelines for the Most Outstanding Club Award (MOCA).

The MOCA is a new award developed by the Organizations Committee to award active clubs on campus that interact with the student community.

Limon read off guidelines to be added into the by-laws about the nature of the MOCA and how clubs will be nominated for the award.

The Organizational Committee has already chosen this year’s winner through a very selective process. The winners will be announced at the IOC banquet on May 23 at 6 p.m. in the conference room in the J.W. Smith Student Center.

The banquet is exclusively for clubs and the MOCA plaque will be presented as well as the trophy to the winner of the IOC Olympics.

Next year’s student council officers have been chosen as well. There were two very close races this year for president and vice president of administration.

Dan Wengert won the presidential race against Tade Hartoonian by 48 votes, and Rebeka Hovanessian beat Danielle Foster in the race for vice president of administration by 44 votes.

This spring marked 56 more student votes than last fall’s election.

“I am happy with the results of the elections,” said Georges Mikhael, senator of campus organizations, “and the increased voter turnout.”

Ana Narvaez and Hartoonian, senators of administration, attended the safety committee meeting.

Apparently students have been told not to feed the squirrels on campus because it makes them aggressive. There have been incidents at other campuses where squirrels have actually bitten people who offered them food.

There was also an apparently gang-related shooting at the Adult Community Training Center located in south Glendale on Garfield Ave.

“A man was shot in front of a school gate,” said Hartoonian, “and then he walked all the way to his house to call the police.”

Another safety issue on campus deals with inexperienced students driving the trams.

Recently a student was hit by an untrained student driver. The victim was injured badly, suffering multiple fractures in his legs. He will be taking his finals in the hospital.

New business on the agenda included approving $1,250 in seed money for the Joe Keefe scholarship in honor of the botany instructor who died last month, $275 to purchase a platform truck to carry the big speakers around campus for events, and $200 for the ASGCC time capsule.