The first Tuesday meeting of the Student Association Senate kicked off with confirmation votes to fill several senate vacancies, the rejection of one bill, and passage of another.
The failed bill, sponsored by Committee Chairs Jamie Baker (CPS-G) and Erik Ashida (CCAS-U), would have added three positions to the SA Executive Branch. It also would have renamed two executive positions, and would have removed the Socially Responsible Initiatives Commission from the Senate bylaws.
The SRI was a two-year program started by former University president Stephen Joel Trachtenberg in 2007. It allocated $25,000 each year to “socially responsible” events on campus. The program ran for its allotted two years and technically no longer exists, but is still referenced in the bylaws.
Baker described the bill as a lot of “striking, reorganizing and adding” and called it “a little too much busy work.” He said that portions of it would be resubmitted separately.
SA Sen. Logan Dobson (CCAS-U) expressed support for striking the SRI from the bylaws, but was opposed to the creation of more executive positions. He spoke about the lack of confidence many students have in the organization.
“I’ve yet to meet a single student who believes these problems stem from the fact that there aren’t enough people in the SA,” Dobson said.
Finance Chair Connor Walsh (At Large-U) sponsored the other bill, which was passed by acclimation. With it, the Senate approved the allocation of $50,000 to the co-sponsorship fund to be used for SA co-sponsorships of student organization events until Senate allocations are handed down early next month.
Walsh described it as a “one-time bill” to introduce temporary funding, and that the remaining money would be replaced in the SA’s general fund after allocations.
The six newly confirmed senators were given committee assignments. They are Dakotah Smith (At Large-G) on the rules committee, Arianna Ames (SPHHS-U) and Dana Marston (SoB-G) on the Finance Committee, Shwetha Shekar (CCAS-G) on Student Life, and Neha Ganju (SEAS-G) and Erika Rydberg (CCAS-G) on Academic Affairs.
