The revisions to the Student Government bylaws stirred debate at the Senate meeting Wednesday. According to the amended bylaws, a “president of an additional multicultural organization as appointed by the Student Body President” shall sit on the President’s Cabinet. Some senators voiced concerns about vagueness, while others said including a student on the basis of being a minority could be viewed as offensive. “If you go to the student with this, we’re saying, ‘We’re only including you because of the color of your skin,'” said Senator Chris Sellers, University Center for Freshman Year. The current bylaws state a “minority student representative” shall be included in the cabinet. Prior to Sept. 16, the President’s Cabinet had not met in four years. A motion to postpone the bill was overruled by the senators. Ultimately, discrepancies with the finance section of the bylaws led senators to table the bill until next week. The bylaws will be sent back to the Finance Committee, which will meet on Tuesday to consider the revisions. The SG Senate unanimously approved the changes to the SG constitution.The constitution will appear on the fall ballot for students to vote on. Mitch Skyer, the bus consultant hired by the University to evaluate the bus system, spoke at the meeting to inform senators of his plans. “This is the first interaction we’ve had with any student groups,” Skyer said. “Since you are reps of the student body, it’s absolutely critical that you speak to your constituents and … find out what they really want, and get them to the open forums.”Skyer said he plans to have the request for proposal sent to private bus companies by the end of December but said the entire process could take up to eight months. The Senate unanimously approved the appointment of Rachelle David, mass communication junior, and Anne Marie Fontenot, finance freshman, to the positions of Senate secretary and parliamentarian, respectively. —-Contact Katie Kennedy at [email protected]
Bylaws sent back to committee
September 24, 2008