At tonight’s Student Government Association Meeting:

• President Kevin Smiley reminded senators that election applications are due to the SGA office tomorrow by 6 p.m. He said everyone is up for re-election.

• Smiley said the campus improvements committee wants to improve library space. Smiley specifically mentioned the basement of the Helm Library. He said the committee could add couches and other features to make the space a more usable area.

• The executive cabinet vetoed last week’s bill that sponsored the Western vs. University of Kentucky baseball game. Another sponsor has already been awarded the event.

• Administrative Vice President Justin Thurman said April 16 is the last day to apply for Organizational Aid money.

• Chief of Staff Eric Smiley said a list of restaurants participating in Western Wednesdays will soon be on the SGA Web site.

• The SGA passed a resolution to support fair housing standards in Bowling Green. The SGA will support adoption of Uniform Resident Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) and a fair housing law equivalent to the Federal Fair Housing Act in Bowling Green. Smiley said that this resolution is “something monumental we could do for the city of Bowling Green.”

• The SGA passed a bill giving $300 to purchase Blue Books and Scantrons from the University Bookstore. These test materials will be available in the SGA office for students.

• The SGA passed a bill giving $250 each to eight different students for assistance with research.

• The SGA passed a bill giving $500 each to five different campus organizations, including the Pre-Dental Club and the Storm Team.

• Bowling Green sophomore Kat Johns, Louisville freshman Lucy George, Versailles freshman Christopher Jankowski and Owensboro freshman Paul Shively were approved as student senators.

• Smiley announced that Judicial Clerk Colton Jessie resigned last week. Jessie said he is running for president and his position on the judicial branch provided a conflict of interest, as the judicial council decides election codes.

• Louisville senior Artilla Scisney was approved as associate justice.

Student Government Association senators don’t plan to leave behind any leftovers this year.

Last year, SGA had leftover money in its budget for organizational aid — money SGA sets aside to help out student organizations.

But senators this year say they’re on target to spend every dollar of the group’s org aid budget.

They have until the end of the spring semester to meet that goal, but Senator Jerebeth Lucas, a Pineville senior on the org aid board, says she thinks they’ll run out of the money by April.

SGA’s org aid board has given $13,278 of its budgeted $40,000 to 36 different campus organizations this year, said Justin Thurman, SGA administrative vice president.

The org aid process didn’t start until mid-October last year, so by this time last year, SGA had given out only $1,059, Thurman said. This year, interviews for org aid started at the end of September.

SGA members plan to spend the entire $40,000 this year, he said.

Last year, SGA handed out $28,612.44 in org aid to 62 different organizations, Thurman said.

Budget cuts ate up $1,500 of their org aid money and senators decided to spend some org aid money on study abroad scholarships, he said.

A little less than $5,900 was left over and went to other SGA projects, including placing an automatic door in Downing University Center, Thurman said.

SGA revamped the org aid process this year, making the application shorter and allowing groups to apply for money multiple times instead of just once at the beginning of the fall semester.

Madisonville senior Jessica Acosta, who served on the org aid board last year, said this year’s application process, particularly the shorter application packet, is more effective.

“There was a lot to it before,” she said. “There was a lot more room for mistakes.”

The current process allows organizations to apply in both the fall and spring semesters until they receive the maximum $500 per organization.

Org aid checks are coming out faster this year, too.

It takes about 10 to 25 days for an organization to receive a check after senators approve an amount, Thurman said. Last year, it took four to six weeks for organizations to receive checks.

“I’m very happy, and the organizations seem to be very happy that they’re getting their checks faster,” he said.

Stephanie Scott, office coordinator for Student Activity, Organization and Leadership, said the process of sending the checks has changed since last year and is more efficient for everyone involved.

There’s $26,722 in org aid money left, but Thurman said he doesn’t think SGA members will be faced with the dilemma of what to do with leftover money again.

“We’re on target for spending the money,” he said. “We’ve established a routine, and the student organizations are cooperating.”

At tonight’s Student Government Association meeting:

• President Gary Ransdell came to the meeting and answered senators’ questions.

He addressed the Board of Regents’ decision to postpone the vote on raises for Dean Kahler, associate vice president of Enrollment Management, and Athletics Director Wood Selig until the next board meeting in January.

This is the first time in 12 years the board didn’t approve a president’s recommendation, Ransdell said.

The proposed raises can’t be compared with raises for other faculty and staff because the circumstances surrounding them are different, he said.

Selig is an asset to the Athletics department, and a significant raise is necessary to keep him at Western, Ransdell said.

Kahler does a good job and is making much less than the previous associate vice president of Enrollment Management, so he deserves a raise, he said.

Ransdell said that he doesn’t know what will happen with Kahler’s raise, but Selig’s raise will most likely come from money taken out of Athletics revenue.

Aaron Pawley, SGA director of academic and student affairs, asked Ransdell if decreased attendance at football games would change tailgating policy. Ransdell said it wouldn’t.

He said it’s not necessary to damage the campus for tailgating, and students should adapt to the changed policy.

Ransdell also addressed the possible relocation of the campus police department to block 12 of the Tax Incremental Finance District, which is near Center, 13th and Kentucky streets.

He said the current conditions of the police station are “deplorable,” and leasing a new building is the only solution.

• Bowling Green sophomore Allan Huntsman, Bowling Green freshman Jonathon Tabor and Nicholas Hummer, a junior from West Palm Beach, Fla., were approved as student senators.

Four senators — Bowling Green senior Skylar Baker-Jordan, Louisville senior Michel Stephens, Bowling Green sophomore Emmett Stephens and Lexington sophomore Daniel Shaw — resigned from SGA in October.

The former senators cited various reasons for resigning, including disagreement with decisions made by SGA’s executive board members.

• Senators passed two bills. One gave $1,500 from SGA’s general budget to help fund the American Collegiate Intramural Sports Regional Flag Football Tournament.

The other bill gave $4,253 of organizational aid money to nine student organizations.

• Sarah Howell, SGA director of information technology, announced that the SGA Web site has been updated, and the bills and resolutions discussed in SGA are now available online.

Brothers working side by side are sparking talks of Student Government Association favoritism.

But it’s not the first time an SGA president has been accused of showing favoritism to friends and relatives, or nepotism.

At the Sept. 8 student senate meeting, all 16 of SGA President Kevin Smiley’s nominations were approved, including his brother, Danville sophomore Eric Smiley, as SGA chief of staff.

Chief of staff is a voting position on the SGA executive cabinet that advises and assists other cabinet members.

The position comes with a stipend of $700 each semester, Kevin Smiley said.

At the meeting, he said he chose people who would best fit each job description.

Skylar Baker-Jordan, former SGA executive vice president, was the only person at the meeting to voice concern about senators approving Eric Smiley.

He said the decision was unethical because Kevin Smiley nominated his brother, who has no previous SGA experience.

No senators voted against Eric Smiley’s nomination, but senator David Vickery abstained from voting.

Vickery later said he abstained because he applied to be chief of staff last semester, and it was a conflict of interest for him to vote.

Eric Smiley addressed opposition to his nomination at the meeting, saying he felt he was qualified and dedicated to the position.

Nepotism suspicions were raised in 2007 when Jeanne Johnson, former SGA president, appointed her then-boyfriend Brian Fisher as SGA chief justice, said Nathan Eaton, former speaker of the senate.

Johnson and Fisher later married.

Cole Taratoot, an assistant political science professor, said he thinks nepotism should be kept out of student organizations because students who think it’s OK now could show favoritism in their professional lives.

Soleiman Kiasatpour, associate political science professor, said he’s against all forms of nepotism.

“We’ve moved from a social structure where family ties, names, age or other personal traits would win people jobs,” Kiasatpour said.