Student Senate appoints justices
Revised Student Body Constitution discussed
Erica Whelan/Staff Reporter
Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: News
The Student Senate appointed three new justices to the Student Supreme Court during Wednesday's meeting at the Arcola/Tuscola Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.
Eric Baker, a sophomore management major, Donald Stone, a junior history major, and Artie Burns, a senior member of the BGS program, were sworn in at the meeting following Student Body President Michelle Murphy's stamp of approval.
"This is an all-star cast of appointments," Murphy said.
All three justices expressed a narrow interpretation of the Student Body Constitution, as well as similar perspectives as to what may be deemed unconstitutional.
During a period of questions, Burns described the Student Body Constitution in its current form to be "worded broadly."
This concern, among others, is to be addressed at the Student Government open forum.
Mark Olendzki, chair of the committee for constitutional oversight, indicated that the most significant revisions pending approval include the elimination of Student Senate districts, as well as an amendment that will increase GPA requirements in all branches of the Student Government.
"I stand by everything that's in these documents," Olendzki said, regarding the revised Student Body Constitution distributed at the meeting.
Approval of revisions, along with a proposal to redefine "diversity," was tabled until next week.
The resolution to redefine the term in order to include sex and age as more inclusive factors was defended by Isaac Sandidge, a graduate student currently on a leave of absence from the Student Senate.
"We do have a significant portion of nontraditional students here at Eastern," Sandidge said.
In the process of revising the definition of diversity, Sandidge collaborated with the diversity affairs committee of the Student Senate for support, and hopes to appeal to a more expansive range of students on campus.
To better serve students, select members of the Student Senate will be traveling to Texas to attend a leadership Conference after securing the approval of a line-item transfer from the Apportionment Board.
Last Thursday, the Board approved the Student Senate to allocate $3,400 of internal funds to send three representatives and an adviser to the Conference on Student Government Associations.
The line-item proposal passed unanimously in the Student Senate.
In other news:
Eric Wilber, student executive vice president, was appointed as the student representative to the city council for the third consecutive year. Wilber indicated increasing voter registration on campus as his main focus for the upcoming elections.
Tiffany Turner, student senate speaker, admonished members for what she considers a lack of support for one another demonstrated by not attending Student Senate-sponsored functions.
Her concerns were echoed by Olendzki and Jason Sandidge, chair of the university development and recycling committee.
The Apportionment Board will meet at 7 p.m. today in the Arcola/Tuscola Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.
Erica Whelan can be reached at 581-7492 or elwhelan@eiu.edu.
Eric Baker, a sophomore management major, Donald Stone, a junior history major, and Artie Burns, a senior member of the BGS program, were sworn in at the meeting following Student Body President Michelle Murphy's stamp of approval.
"This is an all-star cast of appointments," Murphy said.
All three justices expressed a narrow interpretation of the Student Body Constitution, as well as similar perspectives as to what may be deemed unconstitutional.
During a period of questions, Burns described the Student Body Constitution in its current form to be "worded broadly."
This concern, among others, is to be addressed at the Student Government open forum.
Mark Olendzki, chair of the committee for constitutional oversight, indicated that the most significant revisions pending approval include the elimination of Student Senate districts, as well as an amendment that will increase GPA requirements in all branches of the Student Government.
"I stand by everything that's in these documents," Olendzki said, regarding the revised Student Body Constitution distributed at the meeting.
Approval of revisions, along with a proposal to redefine "diversity," was tabled until next week.
The resolution to redefine the term in order to include sex and age as more inclusive factors was defended by Isaac Sandidge, a graduate student currently on a leave of absence from the Student Senate.
"We do have a significant portion of nontraditional students here at Eastern," Sandidge said.
In the process of revising the definition of diversity, Sandidge collaborated with the diversity affairs committee of the Student Senate for support, and hopes to appeal to a more expansive range of students on campus.
To better serve students, select members of the Student Senate will be traveling to Texas to attend a leadership Conference after securing the approval of a line-item transfer from the Apportionment Board.
Last Thursday, the Board approved the Student Senate to allocate $3,400 of internal funds to send three representatives and an adviser to the Conference on Student Government Associations.
The line-item proposal passed unanimously in the Student Senate.
In other news:
Eric Wilber, student executive vice president, was appointed as the student representative to the city council for the third consecutive year. Wilber indicated increasing voter registration on campus as his main focus for the upcoming elections.
Tiffany Turner, student senate speaker, admonished members for what she considers a lack of support for one another demonstrated by not attending Student Senate-sponsored functions.
Her concerns were echoed by Olendzki and Jason Sandidge, chair of the university development and recycling committee.
The Apportionment Board will meet at 7 p.m. today in the Arcola/Tuscola Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.
Erica Whelan can be reached at 581-7492 or elwhelan@eiu.edu.
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