Chancellor Richard Herman attended the Illinois Student Senate’s meeting Wednesday night to address the students in an open forum setting. Herman was there to answer any questions the senators had for him.

“When I get tired of writing memos, I come and help the students,” Herman said. “We should be able to talk about anything.”

Several senators asked about the status of a report concerning the Academy on Capitalism and Limited Government Fund. Herman told them that the committee that wrote the report completed its work earlier this week. The report will be up for discussion at the next Urbana-Champaign Senate meeting Monday at 3:10 p.m. at the Levis Faculty Center. Many of the concerns regarding the fund stemmed from quotations in the press and the accusations of different faculty members, Herman said.

“The worry is that the group only wants to fund work that funds their conclusion,” he said.

The chancellor also addressed confusion concerning the use of the Chief Illiniwek image during last week’s Homecoming Parade. Herman said that the Chief’s use in the parade was a classic example of First Amendment rights. However, technical issues surrounding the cancellation of the pep rally and rumored cancellation of the Homecoming Parade are still being researched.

“Mistakes were made,” he said. “I don’t want to point fingers, but frankly there were not any safeguards to avoid it and we owe the students an answer.”

The senate also passed a resolution proposed by Frank Calabrese, student senator and junior in LAS, encouraging the Division of Intercollegiate Athletes to install public drinking fountains and handicap-accessible seating in the Memorial Stadium north end zone student section. Calabrese informed the senators that they do not need to pay for bottled water at the stadium.

“Water will be provided (in a Styrofoam cup) to those who ask at the stadium,” Calabrese said. “It’s a state law.”