Student Senate found conflict in honoring a cultural request and Missouri Southern’s contractual obligations at last Wednesday’s meeting.

Southern’s German club asked for an appropriation of $750 from the Senate to buy bratwursts to hand out on the Oval today in honor of Oktoberfest. While the Senate members were discussing the appropriation, faculty advisor and vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, Darren Fullerton, reminded members that Southern has a contract with Sodexo.

He said, “Sodexo has the food contract with the University, so any purchased items would need to go through Sodexo.”

The Senate cannot fund this project from the German club unless the bratwursts are purchased from Sodexo. The appropriations committee neglected to ask the German club if they planned to use Sodexo at the time of their request.

Ashleigh Thomlinson, Student Senate treasurer, said, “We just have to let the club know if we decide to pass this tonight that if they do decide to do this they have to purchase it through Sodexo, and if they don’t then we’ll see that whenever we get the receipts and we won’t reimburse it.”

The Senate voted to amend the appropriation to state that reimbursement would only take place if the German club worked with Sodexo.

Jake Messer said, “I just think that it was more of an oversight on Student Senate’s part…not asking the question. I feel like, personally, that’s a small technicality that even I wouldn’t have thought of…So I feel like doing everything we can to benefit the RSO would be in our best interest.”

In response, Thomlinson said, “I understand your sentiment…We are doing this kind of, pretty much, to protect ourselves because we are not allowed to purchase those things. It is not even an option at this point.”

The Senate passed the amended appropriation.

It was also announced at the meeting that the two open Student Senate seats are now available to all classes, rather than just Juniors and Seniors. Ask-A-Senator will now be taking place every other Tuesday and Wednesday in the Lions Den.