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A resolution passed at Tuesday’s General Student Senate meeting which requires a student vote if the Student Body President leaves office with more than a semester left in his or her term.
Vice President of Student Entertainment Derek Mitchell, who proposed the measure, said it would eliminate “the musical chairs” the senate can go through every time a president steps down and is replaced. He cited former president William Pomerleau’s resignation last fall and the ensuing confusion as reasons for this resolution.
As the rules stood, if a president left office, the vice president automatically stepped into the presidency and appointed another student to serve as vice president.
In the case of Pomerleau, he resigned only a few days after taking office and President Steve Moran took his place, leaving students confused. With the new resolution, students will have the opportunity to vote again and choose another candidate for the presidency.
“This is what students want. If a president is forced out of office, they want to elect the new president. This is a good compromise,” Sen. Justin Labonte said.
The resolution passed the senate with of vote of 26-5-1.
In addition, student groups requesting last-minute funding from the General Student Senate will need to be better prepared in the future if they expect to receive any money. In a resolution passed Tuesday, the senate agreed that any group asking for an allocation through a main motion will be required to present 35 copies of their proposed budget or else their request will not be considered.
Along with this requirement, the resolution clarifies sections of the Financial Policy and eliminates any ambiguity concerning what expenses the senate can fund, such as gas money, donations or trophies.
“A lot of our current practices were not in our policies. This just makes it official and much less vague,” said Labonte, who proposed the resolution.
Sen. Christina Soyden suggested an amendment to eliminate requiring groups to present 35 copies of their budget. Main motions have to be presented by a senator and Soyden argued that it is the senator’s responsibility to know why the money is being requested.
“Main motions are supposed to be for emergencies – [35 copies] is unreasonable, unless the senator will print it for them. The senate is only limiting itself [by passing this],” Soyden said.
Most senators were in favor of the requirement.
“If they want money, they can spend two minutes making copies. They’re already taking shortcuts left and right,” Sen. Carl Anderson said.
“Main motions haven’t gone through the Executive Budgetary Committee,” Sen. Michaela Fisher Luke said. “To not have a budget is to make uninformed decisions.”
Labonte added that this resolution will not make requesting funds any more difficult.
The resolution passed with a vote of 29-2.
Other resolutions passed in the meeting included motions to amend and update the constitution of the senate and amend the job description of the GSS clerk. The budget for the school year beginning in Fall 2008 was also approved in its entirety with total expenses being $581,833. According to the budget report, expected revenue next semester should be around $783,000, leaving $201,167 in unallocated funds.
This was the first meeting in which the senate used its new clickers to cast votes, but oral and hand votes were simultaneously counted to make sure the electronic tallies were accurate. Out of 10 votes taken, only one electronic count matched the verbal and oral ones counted by Vice President James Lyons. This was not an electronic error; senators had trouble pushing the buttons they wanted. Mitchell urged senators to be more responsible and pay attention when they cast their votes.
Moran announced that the positions for vice president of Student Entertainment and vice president of Financial Affairs would be open next semester, as Mitchell and VPFA Anh Doh will both be graduating this spring. Applications must be in by Friday and should be given to Moran.
In other business, Tyler McCaslin was sworn in as a senator, while the Women’s Crew Club received its final club approval.
Allocations for the night were as follows: $258.71 to the American Marketing Association; $200 to the Pagan Campus Organization; $150 to the Sophomore Owls; $1,020 to the UMaine Cycling Club; $955 to the Maine Masque; $850 to Navy ROTC; and $1,050 to the Student Organizations Division of UMSG, Inc. $1,900 was transferred from various senate funds into unallocated funds; and $763.23 was returned from previous allocations. $2,900 was received from the Student Activity Fee. At the beginning of the night, $7,271.29 was left unallocated, and after all allocations had been made, $8,350.81 was left.
