A proposal to only have Student Senate meetings at 11 Baxter Blvd failed 4 to 8. Parliamentarian Jessica Roy wanted to eliminate the second sentence from Article 8, section A of the Student Senate Constitution that states “Student Senate meetings shall alternate between Portland and Gorham.”
In last week’s Senate meeting Roy attempted to pass a motion that would remove the proposal from New Business to Old Business. This causes the senate to vote on the proposal without discussion. The proposal was put in the Senators mailboxes prior to the beginning of school.
“A proposal must be given to the senators one week prior to the voting,” Sen. Ben Hoffman said. The proposal was not given adequate time to be discussed.
Appointments Committee Chair Andrew Goodman was apprehensive about the proposal. He acknowledges there have been problems with having meetings on the Gorham campus. “We have to have meetings in Gorham,” he said. “We have moral obligation to our constituents. It’s a dual campus, we need to have it [meetings] in both,”
Goodman said.
Some Senators had concerns that not many people from the Gorham campus attend the meetings.
“Does anybody come from Gorham for those meetings?” asked Chair Vice Tyler Stanley only one person attended the Senate meeting from the Portland campus said Stanley. Senators discussed the climate of each meeting place on the two campuses.
“It is difficult to hold meetings in classrooms at desks, and not very professional, Goodman said.
According to the Student Senate Constitution meetings must be alternated between the Portland and Gorham campuses.
Goodman said it does not specifically say alternate a particular rate or in a specific pattern. So without eliminating the clause in the Constitution, they are able to set a different rate of alternation between campuses.
The Senate decided to hold most of their meetings in Portland for the fall semester, and actively seek out a location on the Gorham campus to hold meetings when construction begins for the parking garage.
“Student input is crucial,” Goodman said.
The other proposal that was on the table last Friday posed a different sort of issue. It is proposes the elimination of the part of the Student Senate Constitution that forbids members of the Finance Committee to be members of the Appointments Committee. If this proposal is passed, then members of either Committee can be members of the opposing one, which poses a problem. Those Senators who help to establish the budget can also decide in part as to who gets on which committee. This can create a sort of a monopoly. “It can create an awkward situation,” said Goodman.
The proposal was passed 8 to 3 after little discussion. The clause has been on the books as far as anyone could remember, and there was little issue in passing the proposal to eliminate it.