Little was accomplished without disagreement amongst assembly members at the Student Association’s meeting Monday night. Many ‘points of information’ were raised throughout the assembly about their own codes; codes they are all required to memorize before becoming a part of the organization.

A majority of the meeting consisted of elections. Two potential Finance Board members stirred controversy in regard to the financial codes.

The Finance Board’s term ends in February, and at next week’s meeting, current board members will run for re-election. Some students were concerned that if the assembly approved the two members up for election at the meeting, next week’s Finance Board elections would be skewed because there are only 10 spots on the board.

The idea struck a nerve with many assembly members, especially when it was suggested to table the two potential candidate’s election until next week.

‘Tabling them would go against the financial codes that we voted on,’ said John Barnhart, chair of the student engagement committee. ‘Do we want to break the rules?’

Of the 10 seats on the Finance Board, six current members are up for re-election next week. Debate surrounding the issue lasted for more than a half hour.

Though Lily Mei, SA’s comptroller, said she liked the idea of tabling the two candidates so the entire Finance Board and new candidates could be presented to the assembly and compared at the same time, many assembly members were in strict opposition.

‘They deserve a vote tonight,’ said one assembly member. ‘They’re following the codes.’

One candidate was voted in, and the other was not elected.

Larry Seivert, president of SA, looked anxious to end the debate after various members raised ‘points of information’ in the form of critical comments.

Parliamentarian Robel Yemiru originally postponed the election of a new recorder at Monday’s meeting because he said it was not supposed to be on the assembly’s agenda for reasons stated in the codes. It took an audience member to correct Yemiru’s mistaken statement, and the election of a recorder did take place.

Another potential candidate running for assembly member was asked to return next week, after she interviews directly with a board of elections and membership member. The interview is not required, but various current members felt that it should be.

Greg Klotz was unanimously elected to the judicial review board.

‘Observing what has happened tonight, what would you have happen to make sure this hopefully never happens again?’ Barnhart asked Klotz.

Klotz explained that SA law must be enforced and carried out within the assembly.

Though Seivert re-instated the chief-of-staff position in the 53rd session of SA, his original chief-of-staff, Helene Kahn, resigned and was replaced by assembly member Neil Casey.

‘I want everyone to know I am still here, still thoroughly involved,’ Kahn told the assembly. ‘Things will just work out more effectively this way. Neil and I have met. He will do a good job.’

Casey said the he wants to be the link between SA’s three major committees that are currently overlapping. He also said he hopes to get Seivert outside of his office and into the university.

Other points of interest covered at Monday night’s meeting include:

* Lily Mei announced that approximately 100 student organizations attended the first fiscal training workshops this past weekend. The remaining workshops will be held this coming weekend. John Barnhart, SA’s student engagement chair, said: ‘Either about 200 organizations are going to show up between Saturday or Sunday, or else we’re going to have a lot of unhappy student organizations.’ Every student organization must send a representative to a workshop if they want to be included in the budget process.

* A bill presented by Hillel Jewish Student Union to the Finance Board was brought before the assembly Monday night. The Finance Board sought to fund $375 of the requested $2,000 requested by Hillel for an alternative spring break trip to New Orleans to aid Hurricane Katrina relief. Though SA’s comptroller, Lily Mei, explained that the Finance Board felt the trip only catered to the Hillel organization, Kahn, president of Hillel, said that was not true. ‘It’s identical to the Habitat trip that in past years has been fully funded for all of their registration fees,’ he said. The $2,000 sought by Hillel would cover registration fees for 16 students, 10 of whom who are not Jewish.

* SA’s Committee on Student Life reported that there are still tickets available for very spring break bus shuttle. There are buses headed to Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington.

* Seivert announced that he met with Thomas Wolfe, senior vice president and dean of student affairs, about MayFest. Wolfe said that safety is his primary concern for the day. Seivert plans to meet with Chief Tony Callisto of SU’s Department of Public Safety today.

mequalte@syr.edu

Published on February 23, 2009 at 12:00 pm