Thursday's Student Senate meeting consisted predominantly of police reports, complaints about the latest changes to the meal plan, and approval of many new Senate Members-at-Large.

With some hesitation, Activities Board (AB) Chair Andrew Moore revealed that AB is currently attempting to secure controversial filmmaker Michael Moore as a lecture speaker. This caused a stir of whispers among the senators, as Moore has tried to make himself a figure in the upcoming presidential election with his recent film "Fahrenheit: 9/11." AB is aiming to have Moore come on October 6, possibly setting up a podium for him on the Mall in front of Hamerschlag Hall. The event would be part of a series of politically-oriented lectures sponsored by the Activities Board.

After asking senators to consider and suggest ideas of how Senate could begin implementing the recommendations handed down by The Natrat Commission, President Erik Michaels-Ober voiced his desire to have student government more involved in the on-campus voter drives. Everybody VOTE, a local nonpartisan group, has already helped register approximately 300 students.

Vice President Julie Beckenstein happily announced that a card reader is being placed on the doors of the UniversityCenter next to Entropy, allowing students easier access to the UC after hours. Beckenstein is also working with the city of Pittsburgh to have a crosswalk placed on Margaret Morrison Street.

Vice President of Finance Steven Kling reported that $81,000 was left unspent by student organizations last year. On a related note, Kling also said that he will be constructing a new financial system that will keep better long-term track of organizations' funding and spending records.

During the discussion section of the meeting, Senator Adam Atkinson, who also serves as the diversity coordinator of Greek Council, urged his fellow senators to report to him any troublesome diversity issues that they may come across. According to Atkinson, there have been some "rather disturbing occurrences" reported recently. He specifically mentioned problems at the Fraternity Quadrangle. After the meeting, Atkinson explained that there had been reports that members of the campus community had been forced to leave one or more fraternity houses and that some had been physically assaulted because of their sexual preference.

University Police Chief Craig Doyle came to speak on a variety of campus safety-related issues. After quizzing the senators about where and how to reach campus police and giving out key chains as prizes, Doyle asked them questions about the University's Alcohol Medical Assistance Procedure, colloquially know as the amnesty policy.

In addition to the other components of the policy, he emphasized that "You have to stay with [your inebriated peer]."

Doyle asked senators to remind their constituents to lock their doors and be cautious about who they allow into the campus buildings, reminding them of the many burglaries in the fraternity houses and MorewoodGardens last year.

He also strongly encouraged the female senators to consider going through the Rape Aggression Defense Systems (RAD) program. The program is being offered twice this semester and takes a total of twelve hours to complete; although this is a large chunk of time, Doyle said it's well worth it. Statistics show that 25 percent of college women will become sexual assault victims. Currently, Carnegie Mellon is looking into making RAD a mini-semester PE credit course.

Before he left, Doyle repeated a point he had made throughout his presentation to the senators: "Please, let me know if my people don't treat you right." Doyle hopes for feedback on whether officers carry out their jobs while working efficiently and treating the students with respect.

Many senators had a word or two for Jay Pujara, the Senate's dining committee chair. Pujara said the committee is currently trying to expand the number of meal block options so that students will have a larger selection of food combinations. The committee is also working on a way for upperclassmen on DineX meal plans to buy the same amount of food that they would get in a block meal for less than they do now. However, the committee is steadfast in keeping meal blocks reserved for specific block meals, on the idea that it will prevent students from splurging their blocks on unhealthy food choices, including desserts and soda. (Related article: Dining Services makes changes in the meal plan, again)

Despite complaints, Pujara said, "The goal should be to fix this system, not throw it away."

As one of their last orders of business, the Senate approved five new Members-at-Large: Corinne Pascale and Aaron Kao, both CIT first-years; Haseeb Qureshi, a TSB junior; Brittany McCandless, an HSS first-year; and Tanvir Suri, a TSB first-year. Members-at-Large do not have voting privileges, but can speak on any topic during Senate meetings, serve on any committee, and learn about Student Senate.