Due to financial difficulties and internal bickering, Undergraduate Student Government (USG) elections remain at a standstill.
Numerous issues surfaced at last night's meeting, such as the withdrawal of the Association of Residence Hall Students (ARHS) from this year's elections and the USG Supreme Court's halt on the executive motion to restructure the USG government.
It also marked one of the few times this semester that the Senate did not override an executive veto.
About 10 ARHS members were present for the declaration of the organization's removal from this year's elections, which marks the first time in Penn State history that the group will not participate in USG elections.
ARHS said it was concerned with USG's inability to elect a head elections commissioner and its past communication issues, ARHS Elections Commissioner Amanda Staargaard said.
"Through no fault of [USG's], we feel overshadowed by the heavy campaigning done by USG," Staargaard said.
She said the group provided one-third of the money for the USG elections, but its members felt they received less attention from the public regarding the elections of their officers.
ARHS now plans to hold its own elections, taking one-third of USG's election budget with it. Their independent elections will not coincide with USG's timeline.
The reduction of these funds is particularly damaging because of an already dwindling elections budget, Senate Vice President Alex Ibrahim said.
"Unfortunately, because of the deadlines, we felt like we had no choice," Staargaard said. "We couldn't go down with the ship."
USG President Galen Foulke faced another predicament when the Court deemed his latest referendum question invalid. The question deals with his plan to restructure the government.
The Court questioned its constitutionality, stating that it read as a survey rather than a motion for change from the student body.
After weeks of government discussion regarding the referendum, Foulke said he may have to implement a backup plan if he ever wants to get student feedback.
USG Supreme Court Chief Justice Brandon Rothey said that if USG can establish a clear referendum question calling for action, it would be the duty of the Court to approve it.
The entire elections process was affected again when the Senate decided not to override Foulke's veto of last week's legislation that proposed an internal committee comprising five senators responsible for electing the head elections commissioner.
Foulke said the primary reason he vetoed the legislation was because the constitution clearly states that the USG president has the ultimate ability to appoint the head elections commissioner. He also said the constitution doesn't support any other legislation brought forth by the Senate.
This was "strike three" of the Senate's attempt to remove the appointment power from the president, said Foulke.
The compromise between Foulke and the Senate was made with respect to the prospective elections commissioner who, regardless of appointment procedure, will be forced to complete the job with a limited amount of time.
The proposed committee was still supported by many senators but will not be considered for this year's election.
After months of debate on three ultimately vetoed proposals, the head elections commissioner will be appointed as it was in previous years.
That appointment will be made through an open application process, headed by Foulke, with the Senate having the final approval.
An amendment to the elections code nondiscrimination policy was also adopted to protect candidates from prejudice based on actual or perceived gender identity.
Additionally, Town Sen. Mike Bond was sworn in office filling a vacancy in the Senate.
