Members of the Council of Representatives met Monday to discuss their progress on revamping the student government constitution. One proposal being discussed involves separating student government organizations into two basic groups: programming and policy.
Under one version of the proposal, the off-campus council would have a seat on the revamped Council of Representatives, an idea some members disliked. Student Union Board manager Charlie Ebersol said that off-campus residents would be over-represented by the presence of an off-campus council representative. "I don't see why they should be represented more than a dorm. They're not an entire class," he said.
Ebersol asked council members to think of the proposed changes to the structure of the Student Union as a brand-new organization.
"We shouldn't be asking where Senate fits in or where Hall Presidents Council fits in. We need to look at this as starting from scratch," he said.
The council unanimously passed an amendment to its bylaws allowing for the creation of an ethics committee. This five-member committee, to be randomly selected from among council members, will establish and enforce standards related to attendance, participation in council business and ethics.
Two other amendments giving the council the Student Senate's authority to fill vacancies in student government offices were tabled until next week's meeting, as council members did not have three days' notice of the proposals.
In other Council news:
- Chief of Staff Emily Chin said the office of the student body president will sponsor the latest installment of the popular "Last Lecture" series. The lecture by English professor Joseph Buttigieg will take place today at 7 p.m. in Pangborn Hall.
- Council members will hold informal roundtable meetings on Sundays to discuss new amendments to the constitution. Student body president Pat Hallahan said the meetings would allow members to hammer out details of their proposals so that formal meeting time may be used efficiently.
