Several hot-button issues were discussed at the Student Government Association’s first Senate Meeting of the semester Thursday.

Just hours after Dr. Nick Dunagan, UTM’s chancellor since 2001, announced his plans to retire, Dr. Jerald Ogg told SGA senators he expects the committee responsible for selecting Dunagan’s successor to have student representation.

“I know Dr. Petersen [UT President] well enough to believe that he’s going to want students on this committee,” said Ogg, the Interim Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. “There’s a rich history of having students involved and I believe Dr. Petersen will continue this history.”

Student body president James Orr had no comment.

SGA passed a resolution, proposed by Heather McLean, the chair of the procedures committee, scheduling a student forum Sept. 26 to discuss the possibility of discontinuing The Spirit, UTM’s much-maligned yearbook.

“We’re also hoping to have a survey on the [myUTMartin] portal,” McLean said.

SGA also heard an update on the yearbook from Tomi McCutchen Parrish, the Director of Student Publications and advisor to both The Spirit and The Pacer.

The UTM Publications Committee voted Sept. 5 to allow the yearbook staff to finish two late issues of the book; however, they didn’t give them permission to produce a 2007 edition. The yearbook staff has a Sept. 30 deadline to finish the 2005 edition and a Nov. 30 deadline to finish the 2006 edition.

“I will tell you now that the yearbook staff is on fire to have it done before then,” Parrish said.

Gina McClure, director of Campus Recreation, asked SGA to grant access to faculty and staff to use the student fitness center in the UC between 6:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily. McClure cited a daily underutilization of the facility before 2 p.m. and the lack of recreational options for faculty and staff as reasons for the proposal.

“The fitness center, as it is now, is not utilized from the 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. time frame,” McClure said.

Under McClure’s plan, faculty and staff would pay an annual fee of about $25 to use the facility, with the revenues generated from the fee being put into fitness center funds.

SGA did not vote on the issue, referring it to the campus observation committee instead.