Winter weather got in the way of a Frankfort rally for university funding last year.

But Student Government Association members are giving it another try.

The Rally for Higher Education will be Feb. 9 at the Kentucky State Capitol, according to the SGA Web site.

SGA and the Provost’s office are providing free bus transportation for 75 people, according to the site.

Students must RSVP at www.wku.edu/sga to be registered for the event, which is considered an excused absence.

The rally will give students a chance to meet with lawmakers, hear an address from Gov. Steve Beshear and voice their concerns, according to the site.

It is open to advocates for all of Kentucky’s public universities.

SGA President Kevin Smiley said the event will be especially exciting for students who have never been a part of a political rally.

“Everyone gets pretty fired up,” Smiley said. “There’s chanting, and there’s cheering.”

Last year’s rally was unable to be rescheduled, Smiley said.

But a few Western students had already traveled to Frankfort and were able to get appointments with legislators, he said.

Smiley said he expects the rally to attract a lot of people with varying interests.

He said the issue of education is of importance to everyone at Western, and that state money and tuition prices are directly correlated.

Smiley said that “protecting the academic environment and keeping services going” were top priorities.

Bowling Green junior Colton Jessie will be a keynote speaker at the rally.

Jessie said he will be telling his personal story of how a scholarship from the state is helping him pursue his college education.

“The students are the future of the commonwealth,” he said. “Why wouldn’t you want to invest in that?”

The current economic situation makes it unrealistic to ask for more state funding, Jessie said.

He said he hopes the rally will discourage legislators from making any further cuts to higher education funding.

“Everything is going up except our paychecks,” Jessie said.

Smiley and Jessie appeared on local channel WNKY at 6:50 a.m. on Monday to promote awareness of the rally in the community.

Buses will leave at 8 a.m. on Feb. 9. Interested students should meet at the SGA office, Downing University Center room 130, according to the SGA blog.

At tonight’s Student Government Association Meeting:

 • President Kevin Smiley said there will be buses available to transport 75 students free of charge to a rally Feb. 9 in Frankfort. The rally will allow advocates from all Kentucky public universities to meet with legislators about higher education funding from the state. Western student Colton Jessie will be a speaker at the rally.

• Aaron Pawley and Eileen Forsythe resigned as senators. According to Smiley, Pawley is taking difficult classes this semester causing his resignation. Smiley said Forsythe is studying abroad in England.

• Executive Vice President Kendrick Bryan said he talked to ResNet Coordinator James Kennedy about the online gaming policy in residence halls. Bryan said the policy is that video game consoles must be registered each semester. He said Kennedy added a link to the policy on the ResNet Web site.

• Administrative Vice President Justin Thurman said he plans on having all documents concerning the SGA budget on their Web site by the end of the week.

• Smiley said he wants to have a concern box on the SGA Web site to “build up student faith in SGA.” He said student concerns would be sent to the appropriate recipient and all concerns would be responded to.

• Hazard senior Jacob Turner was sworn in as student senator and legislative research committee chair.

• A bill that would provide $600 in aid to earthquake victims in Haiti will be addressed at next week’s meeting. Thurman said he will need to go through appropriate channels to make sure the SGA can give the contribution before the bill is passed.

At tonight’s Student Government Association meeting:

• Chief Justice Stuart Kenderes said the Judicial Council decided at today’s meeting to remove Senator Theodore Harden, a graduate student from Otisville, N.Y., from SGA for excessive unexcused absences.

Harden didn’t attend the Judicial Council meeting to defend himself, Kenderes said.

The council also reviewed Senator Vashae Swope, a Lexington sophomore, for excessive unexcused absences, but the council voted that she remain a senator, he said.

The attendance guidelines for senators are now posted in the SGA office window and will be e-mailed to senators, he said.

• President Kevin Smiley said he sends his best wishes to Head Coach David Elson.

“Sometimes change is needed to bring a program forward,” Smiley said.

• St. Louis junior Rachel Wilcox was approved as a student senator.

There will be two more presidential appointments to the senate to be voted on at the Nov. 17 senate meeting, Smiley said.

• SGA passed a resolution that supports the Invisible Children book drive, which collects books to benefit children in Uganda.

SGA plans to put a book donation box in the SGA office.

• Chief of Staff Eric Smiley announced that a request for additional bike racks throughout campus is complete and will be sent to Parking and Transportation Services soon.

• An application is now available online for SGA’s Scholar Development Grant, Senator Dave Vickery said.