By: Carlton Adams, Colleen McKenzie and Connor Volz
This week SMU’s student body considers an amendment to the SMU Student Body Constitution to provide for the creation of the vice president of internal affairs and the vice president of external affairs. The constitutional amendment will enable the Student Senate to best serve the SMU student body. As part of the ongoing effort of the 2015-2016 student leadership to both streamline our internal processes and maximize our external engagement, we recognize the demand for splitting the current vice president of the student body position into the vice president for external affairs and the vice president for internal affairs. The Student Senate voted on February 23rd, 2016 to approve the position split with a 90% majority in favor of the change [28-3-0].
Since summer of 2015, members of the 102nd Student Senate have been in continual correspondence with fellow Texas private university student governments, such as Baylor University and Texas Christian University, in an effort to build relationships and advise one another on the best practices of student leadership. Our key take-away from these conversations was the disadvantage to which we place ourselves by limiting the vice president role to a sole position. The split leadership structure of our cohort universities, which enables both effective governance and impactful outreach, has proven to be a highly successful model which we hope to replicate at SMU. As the governing body of the Students’ Association, which includes all graduate and undergraduate students, the 102nd Student Senate wants to provide a framework that will best serve Mustangs for generations to come, and a majority of its members strongly believe this constitutional amendment is an essential step.
If the student body chooses to pass the constitutional amendment by a two-thirds majority, the vice president of internal affairs will act as the officer responsible for primary financial oversight and internal diligence of the Student Senate’s accounts. The accounts include the Chartered Organizations Fund and the Senate Fund (funding for student organizations and individuals), the Student Senate Endowment Fund (scholarship funding for current students) and the Student Senate Investment Fund (rainy day fund). In total these accounts represent a significant amount of funds, and it is imperative that we ensure their prudent administration for the benefit of all Mustangs. The IVP is additionally tasked to oversee the internal diligence of the Chamber including the Student Senate budget process, the liaisons to student organizations, and legislative efforts. The split helps better define the current vice president’s role to best ensure the needs of the Students’ Association are not only met, but surpassed.
The vice president of external affairs would act as the Students’ Association representative beyond the confines of our campus. The creation of the external vice president is parallel with SMU’s focus to become an integral part of the Dallas community and to develop a more viable relationship between the city and its institution. With the assent of SMU not only on the national, but also the world stage, there is enormous potential in adding this position. The 102nd Student Senate is consistently approached by vendors, company ambassadors, social justice activists, charitable organizations, website and mobile-application developers, and other groups inciting collaboration with SMU and its student body. The vice president for external affairs will have the opportunity to build relationships with the leaders in the Dallas Community, including but not limited to the City of Dallas, the Town of Highland Park, the Town of University Park and their respective city councils and law enforcements. Further, the vice president for external affairs could aid in the awareness of elections at the federal, state and local levels, and provide SMU students unbiased and bipartisan facts on upcoming elections and relevant information necessary to vote. Additionally, the presence of the George W. Bush Presidential Institute and Library allows ample opportunities for collaboration.
Other opportunities to engage outside SMU’s campus are exemplified by the 102nd Student Senate’s recent hosting of the 32nd District Congressional Candidate Forum. Further, the 102nd Student Senate partnered with the SMU Debate team to host a student debate on Texas Legislature Senate Bill 11 or Campus Carry. The 102nd Student Senate distributed a survey to incite student feedback on whether to opt in or opt out, and gathered 1316 responses with 66% supporting the decision to ‘opt out’. Additionally, the 102nd Student Senate was approached to participate in a state-wide university political action committee in which we have the opportunity to joint-lobby with other institutions such as A&M, Baylor, Rice, and TCU at the Texas State Capitol in Austin for legislation pertaining to us as collegiate students and residents of Texas, for example legislation regarding tax-free textbooks. While we were excited about this opportunity, we lack the capacity to pursue it further. If this amendment passes, the EVP will be able to champion a myriad of efforts on behalf of SMU and the Students’ Association, while reporting directly to Student Senate as an active voting member and remaining in tune with the needs of the student body. This is an exciting proposal as the opportunities for development are limitless. Currently there is no role within the Student Senate that acts in such a capacity. The demand is so great that it requires the creation of a unique position, one who can be devoted to such outreach. Further, maintaining the title of vice president will ensure that this external affairs officer will be able to represent SMU on an equal playing field with his or her peers in this vice president role at cohort and aspirant universities.
This amendment to the SMU Student Body Constitution does not and will not interfere with any of the current positions and job descriptions of the current senators or chairmen positions as outlined in our governing documents. Instead, the amendment further clarifies the roles to better serve the SMU student body, and opens the student body up to further opportunities and experiences that will shape the community. Our university is thriving, and we on the student government are pleased to continue to serve you all with every capacity we can. But, as our needs and concerns grow, so must our focus and the body that serves. These positions, with the right people who have tenacity and a striving for the roles enumerated, will benefit us all as we stick to our auspicious articulation World Changers Shaped Here.
The exact language of the Resolution S-102-11 or ‘A Resolution to Amend the SMU Student Body Constitution, the SMU Student Senate By-Laws, and the Student Senate Policies and Procedures, for the Creation of Internal and External Vice Presidents’ was sent to the Student Body via e-mail on Friday, February 26th, 2016 and is also available online the Student Senate website. This vote opens at 12:01 AM on February 29th, 2016 and closes at 12:01 AM on March 1st, 2016.
Carlton Adams, Colleen McKenzie and Connor Volz are all members of the 102nd Student Senate with Adams as Student Body president, McKenzie as parliamentarian and Volz as Student Body vice president.
