2008 Woodie Awards
SA tries to update its Constitution
David Mikalowsky
Issue date: 11/7/02 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Luke Pfeifer, president of Student Association, initiated several changes to SA's constitution including: the removal of class representatives, and the increasing of the minimum GPA requirement. These and several other changes are now being voted on by the students.
In order for the changes to be passed a simple majority must be reached. Since the enrollment is just under 800 students, about 400 students will have to agree with the respective changes to the constitution.
The voting for these amendments was in the cafeteria during last week and will continue into the week of exams. Students shall also be receiving e-mails including a ballot and information about the process and what exactly will be changed. These results will be published in the "Mirror" and will go into effect upon publication.
Perhaps the most controversial and significant change is the removal of the class representatives and their replacement with new representatives. According to Pfeifer, these particular changes were made to make the college's representation appear to be more "professional and less like what [one] would expect in high-school." The new positions are Incoming Student Representative, Residence Life Representative and a Graduating Students Representative. The roles of the current Senior Representative shall be assumed by the Graduating Student Rep. He or she will also help plan the graduation ceremony and give the speech that was ordinarily given by the Senior Rep. The incoming Students Rep. shall be in charge of representing the freshman class and will also have a part in the orientation process, a new facet to SA's involvement. The Residence Life Rep. shall be in charge of representing the returning, non-graduating students who live on campus.
Another important change is the increase in minimum grade point average that is allowed for SA membership. The GPA has been raised from a 2.0 to a 2.25. Pfeifer said that this increase was due to the fact that several other organizations are making similar changes, and that he wants SA's members to focus on their studies before they take the effort to work on SA.
Most of the other changes are simply clarifications of what was in the constitution already. For instance, Amendment One was added to ensure that all members and applicants to SA are treated in a fair non-discriminatory manner. This clause was already a part of SA's constitution, but now there's a more complete list of categories for which SA won't discriminate. Also, the apparent loss of a voting day in Amendment 12 and the quicker release of election results in Amendment 13 serve to make the entire election process run smoother.
Another change includes the fact that an SA member can be removed form office if he or she has had three or more excused absences and it is felt that he or she cannot perform the required duties properly.
In order for the changes to be passed a simple majority must be reached. Since the enrollment is just under 800 students, about 400 students will have to agree with the respective changes to the constitution.
The voting for these amendments was in the cafeteria during last week and will continue into the week of exams. Students shall also be receiving e-mails including a ballot and information about the process and what exactly will be changed. These results will be published in the "Mirror" and will go into effect upon publication.
Perhaps the most controversial and significant change is the removal of the class representatives and their replacement with new representatives. According to Pfeifer, these particular changes were made to make the college's representation appear to be more "professional and less like what [one] would expect in high-school." The new positions are Incoming Student Representative, Residence Life Representative and a Graduating Students Representative. The roles of the current Senior Representative shall be assumed by the Graduating Student Rep. He or she will also help plan the graduation ceremony and give the speech that was ordinarily given by the Senior Rep. The incoming Students Rep. shall be in charge of representing the freshman class and will also have a part in the orientation process, a new facet to SA's involvement. The Residence Life Rep. shall be in charge of representing the returning, non-graduating students who live on campus.
Another important change is the increase in minimum grade point average that is allowed for SA membership. The GPA has been raised from a 2.0 to a 2.25. Pfeifer said that this increase was due to the fact that several other organizations are making similar changes, and that he wants SA's members to focus on their studies before they take the effort to work on SA.
Most of the other changes are simply clarifications of what was in the constitution already. For instance, Amendment One was added to ensure that all members and applicants to SA are treated in a fair non-discriminatory manner. This clause was already a part of SA's constitution, but now there's a more complete list of categories for which SA won't discriminate. Also, the apparent loss of a voting day in Amendment 12 and the quicker release of election results in Amendment 13 serve to make the entire election process run smoother.
Another change includes the fact that an SA member can be removed form office if he or she has had three or more excused absences and it is felt that he or she cannot perform the required duties properly.