In what can only be described as a meeting filled with heated discussion, the Student Government Association passed the most legislation of the entire academic year.
Ten bills and one resolution created enough questioning, debating and flat-out arguing to place other parts of the meeting in a pale light-notably the State of the Association Address and the open forum.
SGA President Jay Perry did not hide his annoyance when one senator called for a point of order. Perry called for “a point for everyone to shut up.”
Two of the bills seated new senators, the remaining eight discussed the upcoming election procedures, and the lone resolution dealt with Internet technology on campus.
All pieces of legislation were approved, but not before members of the SGA critiqued them from almost every angle.
During new business, the first two bills seated new senators: Scott Thomas, School of Medicine senator, and Stephanie Griggs, Language House senator.
The next eight election bills evoked enough discussion to fill almost two hours.
Election Commissioner Meghan Clune presented the bill to seat the 2001 SGA Election Commission.
To questions on the representation of the committee, Clune explained that she had a wide variety of people from different housing and organizations at the University.
“I’ve covered the campus with representation in this committee,” she said. “It’s really hodge-podge, which is what I was looking for.”
The next bill called for an increase in the number of signatures for presidential candidates. Every person applying for a position in SGA must get at least 100 signatures.
The bill requires that each presidential candidate get twice that many.
“I don’t know if it will change anything, but at least presidential candidates would have to talk to 100 more students,” Clune said.
This bill set the trend for asking for a “division,” or hand count, of almost every bill to follow.
The following two bills simply changed the wording in the SGA bylaws to allow for on-line voting as opposed to paper ballots that were used in the past.
Concerns about the possible failures on the Internet caused alarm. If the Internet crashes on election day, Clune said that a special election would be held. “That’s what happens when there are problems with paper ballots,” she said.
Paul Woody, Arts and Sciences senator, spoke in support. “We have a better way to vote; it isn’t perfect, but let’s pass this bill,” he said.
A bill to allow SLU Madrid students to vote created more than 45 minutes worth of discussion. The main concerns centered around Madrid students not being informed about the candidates.
“There is no guarantee that students here will be educated on how to vote,” said Matt Love, Parks College senator. “There is never a guarantee in voting that a voter will be informed.”
The next bill changed the bylaws to correspond, once again, with on-line voting. This bill allowed for the ballots to be counted electronically.
The final two bills changed the wording of the SGA Standing Rules to correspond with the upcoming elections.
The last piece of legislation endorsed “the current policy of unrestricted information, as well as acknowledge and promote current and future improvements in the SLUNET campus network.”
Co-author of the resolution, Brad Bakker, first-year senator, said that he sees improvements with the speed of the SLU Internet and acknowledges them, but he still sees some problems with the technology.
As opposed to working against the organization, Bakker said, “We want to work with ITS.”
During the open forum, SGA President Jay Perry delivered his State of the Association Address. In the speech, Perry reflected on the year’s actions and of those still yet to come.
“Let there be a better understanding of our role as an organization; that although not every pursuit of this body will end in victory, our hopes and ideals will never perish in a moment of weakness or defeat,” Perry said.
Also during new business, Joseph Clever, School of Medicine senator, reported on the actions of the recently passed resolution dealing with the admissions policy of the med. school.
Clever stressed that the school has made no policy changes other than to begin interviewing international students.
The choice between requiring international students to have a four-year escrow account for tuition and expenses or for only two years has yet to be decided.
Senator Nick Fagan, Business School, reported on discussions regarding the construction work in Marchetti Towers. He said that the work is almost complete, but he is concerned with the quality of the work. Currently, staff will be going room-to-room to check the quality of plaster and windows. Any errors should be found and fixed immediately, Fagan said.
The meeting ended with a make-shift “pass the gavel.” Instead of every member of the Senate receiving the opportunity to speak uninterrupted, a few senators yelled out their announcements while others folded tablecloths, gathered their belongings and exited the room.
