ASNMU passed the $305.70 budget to attend the February 2011 Student Association of Michigan (SAM) conference at Wayne State University in Detroit at the Monday, Feb. 14 meeting.

Off-campus representative Alex Wellman said he could not justify voting for ASNMU members to attend SAM conferences anymore. He said he felt other options were not looked into very well, like teleconferencing, which would allow ASNMU to vote without travel and hotel costs.

Off-campus representative Dani Thoune, who will attend the conference with off-campus representative Justin Brugman, said that, with teleconferencing, ASNMU members would miss discussion that would help their voting decisions. Thoune said it is crucial to attend this meeting because of decisions that will be made regarding the upcoming higher education rally, and that she will continue to work with other schools to lower travel and lodging costs. Brugman said if they must miss a conference, it would be less crucial that they attend the April conference. Business representative Alysa Diebolt said that, if students do not see the effects of SAM conferences now, they will in the future.

Treasurer Andrew Foster said one of the problems with attending each SAM conference is that it “looks like one of the only things we’re doing.” Foster asked why ASNMU members must leave campus to fix campus, and said, while it is great that members have become involved in SAM, their primary purpose is improving NMU’s campus.

President Courtney Russell said she met with NMU President Les Wong last Wednesday, and she said he is happy with where ASNMU is as an organization. ASNMU’s primary goal this semester is to make sure students know what ASNMU is and that they are being heard, Russell said.

April 5 and 6 were unanimously approved as this semester’s ASNMU election dates.

James Dyer and Megan Persons were unanimously approved to the elections committee.

Off-campus representative Matt Syreini’s resignation was unanimously approved.