At the weekly Student Senate meeting Tuesday afternoon, senators and students expressed their views about next week’s general election ballot, in which two-thirds of the voters will decide whether or not to amend the student body constitution regarding minority senator seat restrictions.
“This is something that voters should know about because it affects hundreds of students,” Vice President Liz Healy said.
As the student body constitution currently states, “Candidates must be a member of their representative constituency as verified by the Office of the Registrar.” This portion of the constitution is subject to amending.
Healy explained that if voters chose to amend the constitution, this could present a possible loophole in the system. She added that ethnicity is self-reported at the office of the registrar, which means that anyone can change his/her ethnic orientation by simply paying a visit to the Blanton building. “This means if someone wants to occupy this seat they could change their ethnicity, along with 200 of their friends, who could vote as a member of that community,” Healy said.
At the meeting, Carl Dorvill and Matt Houston of the Association of Black Students expressed their opposition to the amendment. “You’re putting more pressure on minorities,” Houston said, “We’re upset.”
Dorvill added to Houston’s comments, saying his major concerns are the negative side effects this amendment could present. “The potential problem is the abuse,” Dorvill said of the registrar loophole. Opposing sides were ushered outside the meeting, where they continued an open-discussion in the hallway.
The potential benefits of the amendment are to cater to those who feel they would best represent any group, race aside, the vice president explained.
“If someone feels that they can genuinely represent a special interests group, this amendment says that they have the ability to run for that seat,” Healy said. “Its purpose is to encourage people who think they are qualified to serve the needs of a special interest groups,” Healy said. Regardless of whether or not the amendment passes, only members of that community will be able to vote on their senator
Legislation to amend the student body constitution was presented Jan. 25 by a senate membership task force, which examined and questioned the current student senate representation model. The focus of the task force was to answer the question of whether or not the current model accurately represented the student body. After compiling data, “the percentages revealed an accurate representation of the student body,” Healy said.
In the opening of the meeting, President Chip Hiemenz inaugurated seven new senators, bringing the final count to eight. Inaugurated senators their respective seats include: First-Year Senators Micah Nerio and Brooks Powell; Meadows Senators Toby Atkins and Crissy McCauley; Dedman II Senators Carrie Ince and Adam DeSilva; and Theology Senators Laurence Hesser and David Mingus.
Following a brief inauguration, senators voted to appoint the executive committee’s appropriations chair recommendation, first-year Jace Hinderland, for the 2005-2006 position.
“I think Jace is someone who is very dedicated to whatever he takes on and he’ll be a real asset to senate next year,” President Chip Hiemenz said. From now until his Inauguration in late April, Hinderland will shadow current appropriations chair Alex Prima. Senators vote on this position early so appointees “can observe and learn the ropes of everything prior to serving the position,” Hiemenz said.
In closing, Senate passed a bill appropriating $5,250 to the Asian American annual leadership conference, after a three-week delay. The money will help fund for its prospective guest speaker MTV VJ and News correspondent Su Chin Pak, who is expected to speak on campus in April.
