One Student Voices Opinion at Public Hearing

Editor-in-Chief

Photo by Danielle Kloap

Pay Attention - Junior Biology major Randy Moore and other members of the Student Government Association Constitutional Conference listen as Brad Sears, a senior forestry and wildlife management major and former SGA vice president, gives his opinion of the current SGA. The conference held a public hearing Feb. 11 for students to voice their opinions about the revisions to the current constitution.

    Only one student gave his opinion at the public hearing held by the Student Government Association’s Constitutional Conference in the University Center Caucus Room Feb. 11. Students were allowed a five-minute statement on their opinion and each conference member could ask the student questions and give comments for two minutes.

   Eric Bell, a senior political science major and member of the conference, asked former SGA vice president Brad Sears, a senior forestry resources and wildlife management major, to compare the current situation in student government to last years, in respect to involvement. Sears said he though the Student Senate is too big, making it problematic for people to get involved.

   “When (the SGA) was small, we could get stuff accomplished,” Sears said. “We were not so caught up in meetings, just focused on the major goal.”

   During his two-minute response time, conference member Randy Moore, a junior Biology major, asked if the past SGA concentrated more on the student body and less on paperwork.

   Sears said they did not have a problem with paperwork.

   “Do you think the student body really cares what the constitution says,” Sears asked.

   He said the SGA focused more on campus activities and did not focus on the constitution.

   Ronald Forte, a sophomore psychology major, told Sears he appreciated him serving the SGA and said he had an issue with no “paper trail” being left by past SGA executive boards.

   “I believe you have to be consistent,” Forte said. “We look back and there is no paper trail.”

   When Forte asked Sears to explain, Sears said the SGA physically did things and “used other means” to do so that did not require SGA paperwork. He gave an example of having the emergency phones put in on campus in 2004. He said the SGA did not buy them, but asked for them and had the phones purchased through other accounts. He also asked how consistent SGA would be since the offices change each year.

   Forte also asked Sears what he thinks about having a review board committee to review the executive board as a check and balance for SGA. Sears said he did not see a problem with it, but thought the people on the review board should be responsible. He also said it might result in a “power struggle.”

   The conference members voted to suspend the rules to allow Forte to go over his two-minute response time to ask Sears another question. Forte said his father taught him as a child if someone has a problem, they come up with a solution, then asked Sears how would he scaled down the Student Senate will making it more accessible to students.

   Sears said the SGA went from having eight to 10 people to having 40 people.

   “It went from being real simple to really complex,” Sears said.

   Sears recommended keeping the SGA simple, and gradually making it more complex. He said everyone has to run around to all of the different meetings and then people do not show up.

   Yvonne Hinshaw, a junior political science major, pointed out to Sears when SGA was small, it was not following the rules in the consitution. She asked him how the students would elect a small number of senators.

   Sears said in his opinion, he would scale down and take two senators from just the major departments on campus.

   During his response time, Bell also thanked Sears for serving in SGA and said he asked Sears to speak at the hearing since he put his time in with SGA.

   Bell asked Sears who “looked over” SGA and make the final decisions. Sears said SGA would go to the Student Programs and Activities director, currently Mindy Holcomb, and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Clay Brown.

   “Is it safe to say Mindy and Dr. Brown had the ultimate say on what (SGA) did,” Bell asked.

   Sears said yes, the ideas stemmed from the executive board and SGA members, and then these ideas were taken to the Student Programs and Activities director and Brown.

   Bell also asked if Sears would say the Student Programs and Activities director looked over the executive board, and Brown looked over the Student Programs and Activities director and executive board. Sears agreed.

   Zack Tucker, a sophomore political science major and chair of the conference, asked Sears if he believed the SGA should be ran by students or administration. Tucker also asked if Sears thought students alone, except for policy, should review the SGA or if the administration should have sole review of the SGA.

   Sears said he thought this should be done on a case-by-case basis. Sears said he spoke not as someone who had served in SGA, but as a “regular old Joe” who does not care if the constitution gets changed.

   “I can personally say, other people won’t care (about the constitution) and it shouldn’t be taken to the students,” Sears said. “If it helps campus life, then take it to the students.” 

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