The Associated Students of Madison held a press conference Wednesday to formally announce their goals for the semester and prove they are "not clowning around" when it comes to the University of Wisconsin's new Halloween policies.

At the conference, Shared Governance intern Hannah Longrie said the university illegally passed the new “no guests” policy for university housing during the Halloween weekend by failing to include student input in the decision, a direct violation of Wisconsin State Statute 36.09(5). The statute gives students the power to "have the primary responsibility for the formulation and review of policies concerning student life, services and interests," Longrie said.

"This university consists of administration, faculty, staff and students," she said. "Until all parts of the university are part of the decision-making behind a university policy, it is not a university policy."

Because the university's Halloween guest policy and various others — including one which obligates the Memorial Union to stop serving alcohol past 9 p.m. and another that prohibits student organizations from holding "late night events" over the weekend — were approved during a student-exclusive Halloween Task Force meeting this summer. Longrie said ASM plans to confront the administration to repeal the policies.

"Such policies are invalid when students are excluded from the decision-making process," she said. "[A]nd until students are a part of that process, guests will be welcomed into residence halls on Halloween, and every aspect of our union will be open."

Yet during a later question and answer session, Longrie said the policy does not necessarily need to be repealed.

"Our goal isn't necessarily to change anything, but the point is basic shared governance principles were ignored when these decisions were made," she said during the session. "Right now, our main goal is to make sure it doesn't happen again. … Yes, we're definitely going to try to get them to change some of the decisions. But we'll see what happens."

Also at the conference, ASM interns presented initiatives to start a textbook rental program this semester for "two to three" classes and a Reserve Officers Training Corps/Support the Troops campaign to hold commemorative events on Veterans' Day. Other ASM interns also highlighted ASM's involvement in the construction of a Student Activity Center in the new building replacing University Square. The Student Activity Center is designed to compensate for limited meeting space for student organizations at the Memorial Union.

"The Associated Students of Madison will play an active role in the completion of the Student Activity Center," ASM Intern Ami Elshareif said in a prepared statement. "This semester, the ASM Student Activity Center Committee will focus most of its attention on forming a shared governance committee."

Elsharief added the committee, consisting of leaders from various other student organizations on campus, will help building planners allocate space for the center.

The center is expected to be completed in August 2009, Elsharief said.