The final gathering of SMU’s 94th Student Senate did not adjourn Tuesday without drama.
A meeting that began with senators thanking fellow members for their service over the past year turned ugly near its conclusion, when two senators walked out on the chamber after feeling that it was neglecting procedural rules of legislation.
The resolution in question, which eventually passed after the interruption, addressed the membership committee’s filling of vacant seats.
If the title of a proposed piece of legislation is amended during a meeting, it dies immediately and must be seen as new business the following week. To prevent the legislation from being held over until next fall, members of the executive committee denied the request of Sens. Ryan Pitts and Marc Bullock to adjourn, reconvene and vote on a revised resolution.
“I personally made a request for us to adjourn and reconvene so that our process could be respected, but this was denied and there was also a request for a rules tribunal that was never acknowledged,” Pitts said.
“In representing my constituents and the student body of SMU, I did not feel that it was appropriate for us to do such a disservice that could compromise our integrity,” Pitts said after the meeting.
Despite the objections, remaining senators passed the resolution, enhancing the evaluation of potential candidates and their relationship with the community of constituents they represent.
An otherwise congratulatory mood was present earlier in the meeting, when senators recalled the many accomplishments of this year.
Senators succeeded in giving students back their fall break in October as opposed to the week of Thanksgiving. Senate also hosted a town hall forum last October that gave members of the SMU community to discuss issues related to campus drug and alcohol abuse and the work of the university’s Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention, in addition to passing multiple pieces of legislation related to the task force, once its report was released in late January.
Other senate initiatives implemented this year include bringing back the Giddy-Up program and a first-ever endowment event to raise funding and awareness.
At one point in the meeting, administrative advisor Jennifer Jones brought down each senior senator to lead the chamber in a prideful and spirited rendition of “Varsity.”
Until the unlikely departure of two senators in the meeting’s final minutes, the senate remained upbeat and encouraged by the direction it takes into next week’s inauguration of new senators.
Parliamentarian James Longhofer reiterated the importance of senators getting involved in changing students’ experience on the Hilltop for the better.
“Whether you’re going to be in senate next year or not, whatever you’re doing, make sure this place reaches its potential,” Longhofer said.
“Take ownership of SMU, that’s what we’re here for. It will reward you in the long run.”
