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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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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

SA Notes

Senate closer to election agreement

The Student Association Senate took another step towards being ready for a looming SA presidential election at Tuesday night’s meeting in the Marvin Center.

The body offered new rules to govern the election and agreed to abide by the constitution that has been in effect for the entire year.

In a compromise between those who supported the adoption of a new constitution and those who support the current constitution, the new proposed election rules have qualities pleasing both sides.

With the old constitution now being recognized by all three branches, SA senators said they are ready to focus on the upcoming election of the next SA president in about five weeks.

No official date has yet been announced for the election, which will also feature contests for the Senate, Marvin Center Governing Board and Program Board. At least seven students have confirmed to The Hatchet that they are running for president.

Before the election can occur, however, election rules and a Joint Election Committee oversight body must be voted upon by the SA Senate.

At Tuesday’s Senate meeting a new JEC charter that included provisions from the current constitution and new constitution invalidated by the Student Court was referred to committee.

Proposed election rules recognize slates and tickets, something the current constitution does not mention. However, no sweeping changes to the structure of the student government are called for under the proposed rules, as would have happened under the invalidated constitution.

Junior Jeff Goodman, the SA executive’s vice president of judicial and legislative affairs, said he questions the constitutionality of slates, which the new charter outlines.

Goodman filed suit in December against the SA for not having the election rules that governed the December referendum officially approved by the Senate.

After students accepted the new constitution in the referendum, the court ruled in favor of Goodman and invalidated the results.

The Senate Rules Committee will meet this week; if accepted by the committee, final election rules outlining the election dates could be passed next week by the full Senate.

-Andrew Romonas

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