According to Election Rules Committee chair Marigelle Malapira, an additional candidates informational meeting has been scheduled for tonight. The meeting will be for any students interested in running for Student Government positions in the upcoming general election in March. It will be the last meeting of its kind before that election. No student may run for SG offices if they have not attended one of the previous two candidates’ meetings or tonight’s meeting.

Attendance was low at the first two meetings; only 48 students showed up to the previous meetings with the intent to run for Senate. Thus, only 48 students are eligible to run for SG Senate. There are currently 70 seats in the SG Senate.

“Having a third candidates meeting would allow for more students to get involved,” said Malapira. “There were several students who approached ERC sometime after the second candidates meeting about getting involved and were either new to the university or new to Student Government.”

It was not only students new to SG that needed to attend this meeting.

Senate President Stavros Papendreou said not many current senators have attended the mandatory meetings. He expects a good number of current senators to be at Thursday’s meeting so they may remain in Senate.

There are currently 60 senators, not all of whom are actually active senators.

On Nov. 30, 2004, Bill 50 was passed to amend the SG constitution to cap the number of Senate seats at 60. It originally was supposed to cap the number of seats at 50, but, after much debate, that number was raised. Before the bill is enacted and the constitution amended, it must be passed by a student referendum. It will be on the ballot in the March general elections. If it passes, it will be effective immediately.

Tonight’s candidates meeting will be held in Marshall Center room 269 at 9. The deadline for filing for candidacy for the general elections is Friday at 5 p.m.