Spring Break
Student Senate gets formal
Changes introduced to make bylaws more official
Matt Hopf/Student Government Editor
Issue date: 2/28/07 Section: News
A bylaw change will be introduced at tonight's Student Senate meeting to allow the Student Senate speaker to cancel a meeting if necessary.
The Student Senate was canceled two weeks ago because of inclement weather.
In the Student Body Constitution it states that Student Senate meetings are to be held once a week during the fall and spring semesters at the discretion of the Student Senate speaker.
However, the Student Senate Bylaws states that regular meetings are to be held once a week.
The way things are right now, a speaker can cancel a meeting because the constitution says so, said Student Senate Speaker Jeff Lange.
The change will set formal guidelines on when meetings should or should not be canceled, he said.
"I think it just formalizes the process."
The wording of the bylaw has not been finalized yet, but it was on the agenda of Tuesday night's committee on Legislative Leadership meeting.
The wording of the bylaw will probably say that the speaker can cancel a meeting because of inclement weather or if the university cancels classes, Lange said.
The Student Senate will also address another bylaw change that will only require the External Relations committee to meet as a whole only once a month.
The committee is currently required to meet only once a month.
The bylaw change would formalize an operation that the committee has done for the last four semesters, said Kent Ohms, chair of the External Relations committee.
With everyone's schedules it is tough to schedule, he said.
The committee includes the mayor of Charleston, the city manager, two city council members, a representative from the Chamber of Commerce and a Charleston citizen.
"There really isn't enough work to justify meeting twice a month," said Mayor John Inyart. "To put it in perspective, the city operates a $21 million budget with 140 employees and only meets twice a month."
The proposed bylaw changes will be tabled until next week's meeting when a vote can take place. All bylaw changes may not be voted on until their second reading.
The proposals will need a two-thirds majority vote to be enacted.
Student Senate meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in the Arcola-Tuscola Room in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.
The Student Senate was canceled two weeks ago because of inclement weather.
In the Student Body Constitution it states that Student Senate meetings are to be held once a week during the fall and spring semesters at the discretion of the Student Senate speaker.
However, the Student Senate Bylaws states that regular meetings are to be held once a week.
The way things are right now, a speaker can cancel a meeting because the constitution says so, said Student Senate Speaker Jeff Lange.
The change will set formal guidelines on when meetings should or should not be canceled, he said.
"I think it just formalizes the process."
The wording of the bylaw has not been finalized yet, but it was on the agenda of Tuesday night's committee on Legislative Leadership meeting.
The wording of the bylaw will probably say that the speaker can cancel a meeting because of inclement weather or if the university cancels classes, Lange said.
The Student Senate will also address another bylaw change that will only require the External Relations committee to meet as a whole only once a month.
The committee is currently required to meet only once a month.
The bylaw change would formalize an operation that the committee has done for the last four semesters, said Kent Ohms, chair of the External Relations committee.
With everyone's schedules it is tough to schedule, he said.
The committee includes the mayor of Charleston, the city manager, two city council members, a representative from the Chamber of Commerce and a Charleston citizen.
"There really isn't enough work to justify meeting twice a month," said Mayor John Inyart. "To put it in perspective, the city operates a $21 million budget with 140 employees and only meets twice a month."
The proposed bylaw changes will be tabled until next week's meeting when a vote can take place. All bylaw changes may not be voted on until their second reading.
The proposals will need a two-thirds majority vote to be enacted.
Student Senate meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in the Arcola-Tuscola Room in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.
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