Following a heated debate, Student Government Senate voted Wednesday to change rules regarding senator outreach and bylaws.
 
SG passed legislation in a 29-6 vote to require senators to participate in two Student Outreach events per semester.
 
The six opposition votes came from the six graduate school senators.
 
“Most of us have advisers that don’t want us to leave in the middle of the day,” said Graduate School Sen. David Widenski.
An amendment for the bill to go into effect immediately was passed in a 23-16 vote.
 
Graduate School Sen. Nicole Hansen said she opposed the bill because she doesn’t want to be forced to do things she is already doing.
 
Committee on Student Outreach Chairman Curtis Elmore said the bill is not meant to force anyone to do anything, but to increase attendance to Chats with the Chancellor, Straight Talk and organization visits.
 
These events are meant to increase student involvement with SG, but have suffered poor participation in the past.
 
The bill requires senators to attend at least one event before the ninth legislative week or vacate their seat in Senate. Senators appointed between the fourth and ninth legislative week are required to attend one event for the semester. Senators appointed after the ninth legislative week are not required to attend an event.
 
The bill was written by Elmore, Committee on Student Outreach Vice Chairman Sarah Lockwood and Humanities and Social Sciences Sen. Brian Baudoin.
 
SG also made changes to its bylaws Wednesday.
 
The Class Gift Committee and the Student Initiative Committee were terminated.
 
“The Student Initiative Committee was for the one-time allocation of $5,000 to a student initiative,” Speaker of the Senate Brooksie Bonvillain said. “It is very hard to do one big change with $5,000.”
 
Bonvillain said the elimination of the Student Initiative Committee allows the Senate to have more money available to allocate to student organizations.
 
The Class Gift Committee was terminated because it has been replaced with the Grad Walk project.
 
Bonvillain said she was a big proponent on the Grad Walk project when she was a Manship School of Mass Communication senator in the spring.
 
“Instead of small scattered projects each year, it’s one big project that will leave a lasting impression,” Bonvillain said.
 
The Summer Planning Committee was altered to include the chief justice, speaker pro tempore and three senators elected by the Senate during the Student Senate spring organizational session.
 
 
 
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Contact Celeste Ansley at [email protected]