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The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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SA Notes

The SA Senate passed more than seven pieces of legislation this week, including a revision of the fiscal bylaw amendments.

SA President Phil Robinson sued the legislative branch for overriding his veto of financial legislation two weeks ago. At Tuesday’s meeting, Robinson noted he believed the legislative and executive branches could “turn things around” despite political turmoil.

Senate bill Fall 2002-29 amended SA bylaws to broaden the vice president of financial affairs’ duties and allow the president to approve expenditures with just the signature of the executive vice president, not the finance committee chair. This marked the resolution of the inter-SA struggle for power that began when Robinson filed suit against the

Senate for overriding his veto of the “Financial Reform Act of 2002.” The new legislation fixed many of the problems the executive branch had with the changes to the organization’s bylaws in that bill.

Robinson said he was “excited by the changes made to the legislation” and was “happy that a compromise was worked out” between the two camps.

Other resolutions passed focused more on student concerns. Senate bill Fall 2002-27, which called for SA support for the founding of an Islamic Student Center on campus, was passed with virtually unanimous consent.

The Senate also passed a bill “condemn(ing) the retraction of priority registration from the University Honors Program Students.” This was a University policy change the legislation’s sponsor, Kate Rocco (ESIA-U), said needed to be “responded to as soon as possible.”

Also passed were resolutions supporting the creation of a five-year BA/MA international affairs program and urged the University to bring a video rental store to campus.

Robinson responded to the political infighting that has plagued the SA’s legislative and executive branches over the past two weeks and rumors of presidential impeachment. He noted in his question and answer session at the Senate meeting that a “gentleman’s agreement” has arisen between him and Senate leadership to “move beyond personal politics.” Robinson called for the SA to move on to new issues telling senators, “if you’re not willing to work together . I ask that you leave.”
-T. Neil Sroka

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