Student Senate is down one senator.

One final Senate seat was filled Sept. 6, but because of absences, two more seats opened up.

Senators may not miss three consecutive meetings without reason.

During the meeting, the topic that sparked the most discussion outside appropriations was the Bulgarian Flag Committee.

The committee was formed to bring a Bulgarian flag to campus after three Bulgarian students joined Senate.

Kristian Hristov, freshman senator, said he thought the flag would be good for the international mission of Missouri Southern.

“There are five Bulgarians on campus,” he said. “We feel we’re not being represented. The flag would kind of spark people’s interest [in Bulgaria].”

Student Senate president Eric Ducommun said the flag would be a token of appreciation for the senators.

The Senate would fund the flag, costing $33.50, but Ducommun said the Senate would look into having the Institute of International Studies possibly pay for a flag.

The flag would be flown outside of Webster Hall.

Sophomore senator Jennifer Harris brought up another topic of discussion.

Harris looked into the possibility of bringing an ATM to the resident hall side of campus.

She said the ATM would have to be sponsored by a local bank because the price for having the University provide an ATM would run $10,000.

“It (the ATM) would give students easier access to an ATM,” she said. “It would also be cheaper.”

Harris said the surcharge for using the ATM may be overcome by using an ATM provided by a bank that is part of a group of banks using only a certain type of debit card among them.

Senate will pursue the idea throughout the year.

Three organizations came to Senate requesting funds.

The first was Koinonia, which took students to a national ministry conference.

There, students learned about international opportunities for missions. The finance committee recommended the requested reimbursement of $884. Senate approved the request.

The second organization was the Southern Players group, which will take a trip to Las Vegas for a Lighting Dimensions Institute conference. The conference will allow the student actors to network with potential employers as well as learn about some new equipment the theatre department will receive due to a recent grant approval.

Senate approved the requested $1,000.

The third organization to come to Senate was the Hand-in-Hand mental health organization.

The group, represented by senior senator Greg Salzer, asked for $536 to attend a state convention.

A few senators raised questions dealing with the legitimacy of the request, but other senators pointed out the social counseling the organization provides.

After a six-minute discussion, the Senate approved the request for $536. Salzer could not vote on the request because of his affiliation as president of the campus organization.

The meeting wrapped up after 40 minutes with Adam Griffin, Senate adviser, reminding senators to prepare for the upcoming Casino Night to benefit United Way.

The Casino Night is scheduled for the second week of November.

Griffin also reminded students the new Senate suggestion box is open next to the condiment bar in the Lion’s Den.

Ducommun encourages all students to make use of the box.

“It (suggestions) will be kept anonymous as far as the student body is concerned,” Ducommun said.

Students are asked to place their name and contact information on any suggestions they may put in the box to make confirmation and communication clearer between them and Senate.

“We look forward to hearing from the students,” Griffin said.