SGA makes international club a large student org

The Student Government Association debated for more than an hour Tuesday whether to make international club a large student organization.

Being designated a large organization allows international club to ask SGA for more money, and to be a part of the large organization funding pool.

International club needed 15 votes in order to remain a large student organization. They received 17.

Other large organizations include Tiospaye, Campus Activities Board, Dakota Days and Dakotathon.

A large portion of the debate centered on whether international club should be allowed to petition, as they didn’t meet last week’s deadline to petition for a large student organization status.

Kasie Heiden, the international club student advisor, said the deadline was accidentally overlooked.

“It was just something where you read through everything else and there’s that one little thing that you miss,” she said. “It wasn’t even a step I was aware I should be paying attention to.”

Graduate student Prakriti Rajbhandari, president of the international club, said they didn’t know they had to re-petition for large organization status.

“Our understanding was that once you are voted to become a large student organization, you just have submit annual budgets to remain one,” Rajbhandari said.

The senate voted to allow the organization to re-petition. After a lengthy presentation from Heiden and Rajbhandari, senators spent 40 minutes asking club members questions.

Heiden said the discussion was civil and wasn’t personal.

“I think it was a very good display of people who genuinely care about the university and providing resources for international and domestic students,” Heiden said. “I don’t think there was anybody that voted ‘no’ because they don’t like the international club or what we want to do.”

International club members said they would use the extra money to provide for three large events per semester, along with an event every month and more student trips. International club organizes Festival of Nations, Himalayan Night and student trips, among other events.