The Student Government Association closed a 15-year chapter of its history last Wednesday as senators gathered to bid farewell to longtime moderator Phil Lyons. Legislators past and present heaped praise on the outgoing associate vice president, shared “Phil stories” and voted to rename the senate chambers in his honor.
Besides saying goodbye to Lyons, the senate also voted to give $1,512 to Una to help the campus feminist group put on a second night of The Vagina Monologues. Additionally, SGA passed a new constitutional amendment and chartered a new student organization. President Evan Krauss also spoke on student concerns over next year’s 8.5 percent jump in undergraduate tuition rates.
Two former SGA presidents and other friends and co-workers of Lyons were on hand for his last senate meeting. Former President Mike Rozier, currently a resident of El Salvador, also appeared in a recorded video message to wish Lyons luck.
The senate passed a resolution to thank Lyons for his years of service to SGA. In another vote, they chose to rename the senate’s usual meeting place, located on the second floor of the Busch Student Center, the “Phillip V. Lyons Senate Chamber.”
“I am a richer person because of all of you; I’m richer because of the time I’ve gotten to spend in each of your lives,” Lyons said in his last moments as SGA moderator.
While much of the meeting was an adieu to Lyons, the senate also addressed other matters facing the University.
President Krauss told senators that he had received a large number of e-mails and telephone calls from students who were “shocked, angry and in disbelief” because of climbing tuition prices. Last week University administrators announced that some students should expect a $2370 addition to their tuition and housing bills next semester.
Krauss announced that there will be a “town hall meeting” to discuss the tuition increase on Thursday, February 8 in the St. Louis Room of the BSC. University administrators will be on hand to address students’ concerns.
“We’ve heard from a high volume of students who want to meet one on one with the administrators. . They have a lot of questions, including deeper questions about what direction the University is heading. The open forum will allow us to open a dialogue between administrators and students,” Krauss said.
Senator Hillary Clark, a senior representing the John Cook School of Business, drafted new constitutional amendment in response to low voter turnout among law students in SGA’s general elections in February. The amendment-passed unanimously by the senate-will allow law students to choose their senators during Student Bar Association elections. This vote, held later in the spring semester, boasts participation rates of about 80 percent. Clark hopes that the change will give the School of Law a stronger voice in the senate.
The senate also unanimously voted to charter SLU’s chapter of the National Student Speech-Language and Hearing Association. A pre-professional organization for speech and language pathologists, NSSLHA offers a variety of educational, social and service opportunities to its members.
The senate also voted to grant $1512 in spot funding to Una, SLU’s student feminist organization. Una will use the money to finance a second night of The Vagina Monologues, a controversial performance art piece that explores female sexuality and violence against women.
In the past Una has performed The Vagina Monologues on campus, but this year University administrators decided to prohibit its production on SLU property. Una chose to go on with the performance, but required extra funding to rent an off-campus auditorium.
Some senators questioned whether SGA should have funded an event that may be contrary to Catholic morality.
“The Vagina Monologues is not inline with Catholic teaching on sexuality or on the purpose of the human body. While I support Una’s mission of helping women and fighting abuse, I can’t support spending the University’s money on that performance,” said Sean Flanagan, a junior representing Parks College.
Others hoped that The Vagina Monologues would return to campus next year.
“It’s an injustice that Una has to perform off campus, and we should push to bring them back on campus next year,” said Andrew Vargas, a senator from the School of Law.
