SGA confirms committees for 111th Senate and discusses caucus amendment

The Student Government Association (SGA) held its weekly general body meeting on April 25 to discuss expectations for the 111th Senate, bylaw updates and a proposed constitutional amendment. It also confirmed senators to various committees.

SGA Expectations presentation

Senate President Dalhart Dobbs presented his and Senate Vice President Nasreen Naqvi’s expectations for the 111th Senate. He covered attendance, disciplinary marks and general body meeting expectations.

• Freshman Class Senator Ryan Alezz motioned for a five-minute Q&A, during which Dobbs addressed questions about Google Drive access, voting, moderated caucuses, the possibility of changing committees and the differences between bills and resolutions.

Committee confirmations

Dobbs presided over the confirmation of the new administration’s senators to the Senate’s various committees. All senators were successfully confirmed.

Spring 2023 Bylaws Updates

Sophomore Senator Molly Kuzma motioned to refer the Spring 2023 Bylaws Updates to the Internal Affairs Committee. The motion passed unanimously.

Caucus Membership constitutional amendment

Senior Class Senator Mufasa Cruz Moreno presented a constitutional amendment that would change the procedure executed when caucuses do not meet the 10-member quota by the end of a semester. Prior, caucuses would be held in advisory status. If the caucus reached the quota after one semester, it would no longer hold advisory status. If after two semesters under advisory status the quota was still not met, the caucus would be inactivated. Under the proposed amendment, if a caucus has not met the quota by the end of fall break, the caucus’s representative would be required to meet with the student body vice president and the SGA advisor to create a plan to increase membership.

• Freshman Class Senator Jaden Garcia questioned the amendment’s plan to dismiss caucus representatives if they fail to increase membership by the end of Thanksgiving Break and then begin searching for new representatives. Garcia pointed out that representation of minority groups is a right in the Senate and that this plan might leave a caucus temporarily without representation.
• Cruz Moreno stated that he would like to see further discussion about this. “We want to make sure that there is someone representing the seat, and we also want to ensure they are accountable. At the same time, we don’t want to punish the position.”
• Garcia and Treasurer Jenny Chen questioned the necessity of the 10-person quota. Cruz Moreno responded that the question merited further discussion.
• Alezz questioned the purpose of having caucuses if the membership requirement is less than 10. Vice President Jackson Morris concurred, stating that the requirements for membership are low. “All you have to do is go to one caucus meeting each semester,” Morris said. “We require all [student organizations] registered under the SGA to have 10 members.”
• The Senate continued to discuss the necessity of a membership requirement, with representatives split fairly evenly on the issue. Garcia motioned to refer the amendment to the Internal Affairs Committee.