A series of heated discussions within Student Government followed SG President Cody Wells’ decision to decline signing legislation to urge the University’s administration to recognize October as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month.
The SG Senate passed the resolution Oct. 5 with 77 percent in favor. The resolution will automatically go into effect by default because Wells simply declined to sign it, rather than vetoing the bill.
Wells’ decision not to sign the LGBT History Month resolution is the first time this semester he has intentionally not signed legislation that passed through the Senate, according to SG Senate Speaker Aaron Caffarel.
“Usually, there’s some kind of an oversight [if the SG president doesn’t sign],” he said. “It’s almost never body.”
Wells said he decided not to veto the bill because he wanted to respect the voice of the Senate.
Caffarel said the president should veto a bill if he is not in agreement with the legislation. He added that legislation passed through Senate should always be addressed by the president. In the case of his disapproval of a bill, the president should attempt to work out a resolution with the bill’s authors, he said.
“The president should support or not support legislation,” he said. “The veto is there for a reason if he disagrees. In turn, a veto could have addressed any issues the president had with the legislation and could have resulted in a compromise between the resolution authors and them.”
Despite differences in opinions, O’Pry said she is satisfied with the support she has received from her fellow Senate members.
“I’m pleased with the overwhelming support I received from student senate,” she said. “My concern is having this discussion continue on with the institution. LGBT student services are not receiving adequate funding and programming support. Our history, our needs and our voices need to be heard on this