Wednesday, March 5, 1997

USG changes constitution

By PATRICIA K. COLE
Collegian Staff Writer

The proposed revision of the Undergraduate Student GovernmentConstitution brought about much debate, but not many changes, before it was unanimously approved by the USG Senate last night.

Undergraduate Student Government Heller and Administrative Contact Committee Chair Caroline Casagrande discusses the appointments for the judicial election board during the USG Senate meeting last night. The meeting was held in 307 HUB. (Collegian Photo/ Shawn Knapp - click for full size image)

The inclusion of two clauses that would extend the powers granted to Academic Assembly was fiercely debated. After eliminating a clause last week that would have allowed the assembly to speak as the student voice on academic matters, Town Senator Brian Heller tried to add a section to allow the assembly to censure the USG president on academic matters.

"I'd rather just dissolve them than make them a lesser branch," Heller said of the assembly, which has been plagued with attendance and organizational problems in recent years. Heller and Administrative Contact Committee Chair Caroline Casagrande were at the assembly's discussion of the constitution.

Desha Girod, faculty senator for the College of Liberal Arts, told the senate the assembly was strongly in favor of the motion because the assembly is a legislative branch and is rebuilding itself this year.

"This is not a threat or a warning. I suspect that it won't pass Academic Assembly if it doesn't have that stipulation," Girod said.

The constitution must be passed by two-thirds of both the senate and the assembly before going to the USG Supreme Court for approval. No representatives from the assembly stayed for the senate debate on the issue.

Casagrande and others were concerned that the clause would give too much indirect power to the deans of the colleges.

"All of their information comes directly out of their deans' mouth," Casagrande said. "No outside research has been done at that table since I've been sitting there."

Casagrande encouraged the senators to attend a meeting to see how the representatives are strongly influenced by their deans and their adviser.

The senate passed the clause after the word 'censure' was changed to 'advise.'

The senate also discussed ways to bypass the assembly in voting on the constitution. Senate Appointment Review Board Chair Kendra Ciesla explained that every member of the executive branch and the senate would have to resign and re-apply to the court as a completely different organization with their "new" constitution.

The idea was not seriously considered. But the senate did discuss the possibility of ordering USG President Sharon Entenberg to call a joint session of the senate and the assembly to discuss the legislation.

"We'll get Academic Assembly in here. We'll smoke-um peace pipe and see what happens," East Halls Senator Adam Black said.

A clause to allow the assembly to pass executive orders regarding academic assembly was quickly rejected with little discussion. The senate also struck an addition to the powers of the president which would have allowed him or her to introduce legislation onto the senate floor.