Spring Break
Student Senate to make recall election process clearer
Bob Bajek / Student Government Editor
Issue date: 3/25/09 Section: News
The Student Senate will introduce a resolution to clarify the recall election process at today's regular weekly meeting.
This process was reviewed after the Student Supreme Court was re-established in November. The court will review a complaint about a contested election.
However, the steps to get to a recall election are vague in the bylaws.
"The constitution says there is provisions for a recall election, but there are no set guidelines for it," said Student Senate Speaker Drew Griffin. "When it comes to recall elections, the secretary (Ashlei Birch) will organize it. It is tying up a loose end."
Student Senate members Chris Kromphardt and Mark Olendzki were the ones who pointed out the secretary of the Student Senate as the one to organize a recall election.
Kromphardt said there was no specific process for the recall elections.
"Mark ran it by me, and since the secretary is in charge of the elections commission and is impartial, she will be the right one," Kromphardt said.
Student Body President Levi Bulgar said last year there was a tie between two candidates running for the Student Senate. Birch oversaw the run-off election.
In other business, a resolution will be introduced to change the date of the meeting of the year.
The meeting will be moved to a Friday so the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union, the building the senate meets in, will be open until 1 a.m. — two hours later than on Wednesdays.
Griffin said the State of the Senate Address, State of the University Address, Senate Good-byes and tuition and fee increase proposals will push the meeting longer. New senate members will be sworn in and the speaker is elected.
Shortening the meeting through time caps will not be likely, Griffin said.
"It is possible to limit all of those things, but according to parliamentary procedure, it takes two-thirds of the majority of the body to do this," he said. "This won't probably happen because we have a hard time keeping committee and executive reports short."
Student Senate meets at 7 p.m. in the Arcola/Tuscola Room in the Union.
Bob Bajek can be reached at 581-7942 or at rtbajek@eiu.edu.
This process was reviewed after the Student Supreme Court was re-established in November. The court will review a complaint about a contested election.
However, the steps to get to a recall election are vague in the bylaws.
"The constitution says there is provisions for a recall election, but there are no set guidelines for it," said Student Senate Speaker Drew Griffin. "When it comes to recall elections, the secretary (Ashlei Birch) will organize it. It is tying up a loose end."
Student Senate members Chris Kromphardt and Mark Olendzki were the ones who pointed out the secretary of the Student Senate as the one to organize a recall election.
Kromphardt said there was no specific process for the recall elections.
"Mark ran it by me, and since the secretary is in charge of the elections commission and is impartial, she will be the right one," Kromphardt said.
Student Body President Levi Bulgar said last year there was a tie between two candidates running for the Student Senate. Birch oversaw the run-off election.
In other business, a resolution will be introduced to change the date of the meeting of the year.
The meeting will be moved to a Friday so the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union, the building the senate meets in, will be open until 1 a.m. — two hours later than on Wednesdays.
Griffin said the State of the Senate Address, State of the University Address, Senate Good-byes and tuition and fee increase proposals will push the meeting longer. New senate members will be sworn in and the speaker is elected.
Shortening the meeting through time caps will not be likely, Griffin said.
"It is possible to limit all of those things, but according to parliamentary procedure, it takes two-thirds of the majority of the body to do this," he said. "This won't probably happen because we have a hard time keeping committee and executive reports short."
Student Senate meets at 7 p.m. in the Arcola/Tuscola Room in the Union.
Bob Bajek can be reached at 581-7942 or at rtbajek@eiu.edu.
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