The Associated Students Inc. Senate discussed two proposed amendments to the student government bylaws at its meeting Wednesday.
Sen. Justin Todoroff of the College of Health and Human Services introduced the two amendments, which make changes to two sections of the bylaw article that outlines executive authority for the student government.
The first proposed amendment redefines the job description of the secretary for campus diversity relations and outlines the purpose of the presidential cabinet. In addition, it addresses office hours, compensation and appointments of cabinet officers.
Todoroff said the proposed amendment is just a formality and moved to do a second reading that sends the amendment to the Documents and Bylaws Committee for review. The Senate unanimously approved Todoroff’s motion.
The second proposed amendment adds a stipulation to the bylaws that said the Senate must approve the elections handbook a minimum of seven weeks prior to an election. It also adds a section saying that the Senate cannot amend the elections handbook, but ultimately must approve the handbook before it goes into effect.
The amendment in question adds a stipulation into the bylaws that are already present in the elections handbook. Todoroff said the amendment adds this in because the bylaws supercede the handbook in case of a problem. Some senators said they thought the new section gave the Senate too much power over the elections committee.
Sen. Christopher Chavez of the College of Liberal Arts said while he understands the need for checks and balances, he said he thinks there should be a separation of power in the situation. He said he worries there could be a problem with a highly politicized group like the Senate.
University representative Jeanne Caveness suggested adding language to the bylaws that would indicate if the Senate did not approve the handbook by the designated time, the previous year’s handbook would be used. She reminded the Senate of last year’s election, where the handbook was not approved until close to the time limit.
