Senate Passes Amendments, Petition

Editor-in-Chief

   The Student Senate discussed and voted on two amendments dealing with an ethics reform amendment to the senate bylaws in its meeting last Wednesday. The body also passed a petition to work with the Student Activities Board on an inaugural celebration for the incoming Student Government Association executive officers.

Photo by Danielle Kloap

Authorship - Jimmy Spurlin, a senior applied science major, gives his authorship speech for his amendment to original amendment to the senate bylaws for ethics reform, presented by Angelia Buford, a senior social work major. Both amendments passed.

Ethics Reform

   Angelia Buford, a senior social work major, presented the original amendment to the bylaws in the bill book Jan. 21. The original amendment created an ethics committee where charges could be filed against a senator in violation of the student handbook and university policies. Jimmy Spurlin, a senior applied sciences major, presented an amendment to Buford’s amendment stating a senator would have to be in violation and found guilty before suspension or expulsion could take place. 

   Spurlin’s amendment passed unanimously. After a motion was made to untable Buford’s original amendment, a senator motioned to suspend the rules and not read the bill again. 

   Eric Bell, a senior political science major, asked why the rules were being suspended to not read the bill and Buford said the bill had been read four times before.

   She gave a short authorship speech saying this addition to the bylaws would hold senators accountable for the SGA constitution and student handbook.

   “We should set an example for fellow students,” Buford said.

   The bill said with incidents of public knowledge, charges can be submitted to the ethics committee and the senator can provide evidence for the charge. The committee will then notify the charged senator and allow them to submit witnesses and testify at their hearing. Buford said the decision for suspension or expulsion must be unanimous. If the matter is not one of public knowledge, the director of Student Programs and Activities and the vice chancellor of Student Affairs will make a decision whether to expel the senator or not and will notify the senate.

   Ron Forte said the amendment had already been discussed in-depth and called the question to vote. All senators unanimously voted on Forte’s motion to vote on the original amendment, submitted by Buford. When President Pro-tempore Sandy Herring, a sophomore political science major, called for the vote, all senators except Bell voted for the amendment.

Inaugural Petition

   Zack Tucker, a sophomore political science major, presented a petition to form a joint committee of five senators and 5 Student Activities Board members. During his authorship speech, Tucker said since the re-establishment of the senate, no petitions have been submitted requesting the senate work with another body of the student government. 

   “With the unique situation of just having a historical election, the centennial celebration and possible ratification of a new student constitution, there is an air of involvement that has not existed on campus in quite a while,” Tucker said.

   Tucker said he would like for the Senate to hold an inexpensive inaugural celebration. He said the ad-hoc committee, a committee created for a specific purpose, would form just for the inaugural celebration.

   Bell said he was curious to know what Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Clay Brown said about the petition “since (student government) already has an inaugural celebration.”

   Tucker said for this year, Brown suggested just holding a ceremony. Tucker said he would like to have an inaugural breakfast, parade, luncheon and ball, but knew money would be tight with the current economic situation. He said the Residence Hall Association would be interested in helping put on an Inaugural Ball.

   Bell wanted to know how a ceremony would increase student involvement. Tucker said by having a public, formal ceremony in the University Center Green Room, students would walk by and see student government is something they can get involved with. He also said it would be a good advertisement for student government.

   Bell said the student government did have more involvement at the beginning of the year and asked Tucker why he thinks there is less involvement now. Tucker said he thought it had to do with schedule conflicts and the lack of a dead hour in the university’s class schedule for Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

   Bell asked if anyone noticed how the more “deep and complex” the senate became, the less involved students were with the senate? Tucker said he has seen no change from last semester to now.

   Tucker also submitted an amendment to correct typos in his petition. The petition unanimously passed.

   Herring announced special elections for the ratification of the constitution by the student body will take place March 23, 24 and 26. The general election for SGA executive officers and half of the senators will take place April 14, 15 and 16.

   Tucker said meetings for the election commission, which are open to the public, have not been set yet.

Observation

 

   In new business, Bell stood up and said he would like to speak about observations he has made about the senate. He said he saw “dirty politics” happening in the senate.

   “I’ve always heard the term “dirty politics” and its never really hit home until I’ve seen it,” Bell said.

Photo by Danielle Kloap

Preparing - President Pro-Tempore Sandy Herring prepares for the Student Senate meeting last Wednesday. The senate meets every Wednesday from 4 - 5 p.m.

   He said when the senate constantly suspends the rules, it is not following the proper procedures. Things cannot be proper and fair, he said, when senators suspend the rules.

   “We have little cliques that are outweighing the vote all the time,” Bell said.

   Bell said he thinks the senate has moved away from what it set out to do – to “do it the right way.” Again, he said he saw the senate “turning into dirty politics.”

   “We can see the student involvement has fallen off, and why is that?” Bell asked. “Don’t you think other people see the same thing I’m seeing? I’m sure each and everyone knows exactly what I’m talking about.”

   Bell said he thought the senate should not keep suspending rules on a whim to make the process go faster. The same thing happens in Student Activities Board meetings, according to Bell. He said when the student government bodies have discussion, they can look at the ethical side of things.  

   He closed by saying these were just observations he made and said the senate need to “quit bypassing the rules.”

   Ron Forte, a sophomore psychology major, said he wanted to respond to Bell and said the senate can suspend the rules as a pat of parliamentary procedure.

   “As a part of politics and parliamentary procedure, you can suspend the rules to do what has to be done,” Forte said. “Its not about arguing, its not about procedures, it’s the way government is ran.”

   Forte said he thought the senate would benefit from watching a real senate session.

   He went on to say he believes one problem in the senate is senators do not prepare for meetings.

   “Before I come into a senate meeting, I have read everything that we’re going to talk about,” Forte said. “I don’t need to have a paper in front of me; I know it backwards and forwards.”

   He said each senator had a responsibility to come prepared and read the bill book before the meeting.

   Forte told Bell he did not believe Bell was wrong in his observation, but explained the senate is trying to save time by suspending some of these rules.

   “I think that a lot of stuff is time consuming and we try to keep from spending a lot of time because we spend a lot of time in here,” Forte said. “What should take us 20 minutes is taking us two hours.”

   After Forte finished speaking, Herring asked if any other senators had any other new business. Yvonne Hinshaw, a junior political science major, made a motion to adjourn. After the motion received a second, Bell said he would like to respond to Forte, but Herring told him a motion to adjourn had been made

“That’s the dirty politics I’m talking about right there,” Bell said.

   Buford told Bell that is part of Roberts Rules of Order, which the senate utilizes for parliamentary procedure. Parliamentarian Jonathan Greenlee, a senior speech communications major, asked Bell to sit down and be quiet since a motion was on the floor.

   Bell responded, “Man, shut up dude, quit trying to call me down.”

   After trying to gain order in the meeting, Greenlee told Bell he was excused.

   “Eric, you can’t just tell someone to shut up in here,” Herring said. “(Greenlee) called a point of order, he is the parliamentarian.”

   The meeting adjourned immediately after Herring called for a vote.

   The senate will meet again at the following places and times: March 4 in the U.C. House Room from 4 - 5 p.m. and March 11 in a Maxwell Hall upstairs lounge from 4 - 5 p.m. The schedule for the rest of the meetings for the semester comprises April 8, April 15, April 22 and the last meeting will take place April 29.

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