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Law School senators forced an unscheduled Student Association Senate meeting Monday night in Stuart Hall when the Student Bar Association threatened to disseminate an e-mail condemning the student fee increase referendum if legislation supporting law students was not passed.

The Law School senators proposed and helped pass a resolution on behalf of the SBA – the largest student organization in the Law School – to ensure the SA’s commitment to returning the extra money law students will pay into the student fee.

“The SBA does not know if they should make some sort of recommendation on the student fee referendum (on Tuesday),” said SA Sen. Bryan Mechell (G-At Large), a law student and co-sponsor of the resolution. “The SBA is concerned that if they recommend this increase they are asking all of their students to pay more money and they don’t know if they are going to get anything back.”

Tempers flared at the meeting as some senators said they were being forced to comply with the wishes of the SBA against their will.

“I do not negotiate with terrorists,” said SA Sen. J.P. Simon (SMHS). “We are clearly being held hostage by this organization.”

The SBA, an umbrella organization that governs several student organizations, received $50,000 from the SA this year – the highest amount of money given to any student organization. SA Sen. Christopher Bruno (Law) said the SA should not shun the Law School and the SBA.

“I have a point of reservation if you are uncomfortable saying the Law School is going to get money back (if the student fee increase is passed),” Bruno said. “It is not the right message to send that they won’t get money back. Give some indication of what is going on here. Tell (the SBA) that in a perfect world, (you will tell them) what you will do to help (law students).”

SA Sen. Matt Cohen (SoB-U), chair of the finance committee, stressed the urgency of the issue at hand and said he would do what it takes to make sure the student fee passed, which it did.

“I have an ego. I have a lot of pride, but I’m willing to brush it under the God damn rug to pass the God damn student fee (increase),” said Cohen as SA Executive Vice President Brand Kroeger made the sign of the cross. “We have a higher mission here . If you want to fail this (resolution and alienate Law School students), you better wake up in the morning and go out there and talk the talk and pass the God damn fee.”

Soon after the resolution passed, the SBA sent out an e-mail to its members endorsing the student fee increase referendum.

“We worked with leaders of the Student Association so that they understood our needs, and as a result, a resolution passed in the SA Senate signifying that additional fee money collected because of any increase will return directly to law school organizations,” according to an the SBA e-mail. “With this assurance in hand, the SBA was happy to endorse this much-needed measure.”