The Standard and Student Body Vice President Justin Mellish

TS: Was this the first resolution passed for this year?

JM: Yes. Its title is CB Fall 2010-01: Approval of Bylaw Amendments

TS: Was tonight the first SGA as a whole had heard about the idea… or was it around last semester as well?

JM: This resolution was actually a resubmittal of a resolution approved last year. It needed to be resubmitted because it was incorrectly submitted last year as a Senate Business and also had a few errors concerning where certain amendments would be placed in the Bylaws. It also contained provisions for the Internal Affairs Committee which was not included in the original resolution.

TS: Who first introduced the resolution (and what originally compelled them to?) Who were its authors and sponsors?

JM: Concerning last year’s resolution, I, along with John Maddux last year’s Speaker Pro Tempore, authored the resolution. I wrote the section concerning legislative committees because I had been elected as the Student Body Vice President and such committees are determined by the Vice President. John Maddux wrote the section concerning the Faculty Senate Liaison; he worked extensively with Faculty Senate last year and saw a need for the position. Additionally, Faculty Senate provides for an SGA Liaison to Faculty Senate, so it seemed courteous to do the same for them. Jacob Swett also served as a sponsor to the resolution because he had been elected as Student Body President and has a vested interest in the revisions.

I wrote the resubmitted resolution because I knew last year’s resolution was submitted incorrectly and had errors. It was sponsored by Kristina Moller. Only Senators are allowed to submit resolutions to the Senate, so a sponsor was required for me to submit it.

TS: I noticed the vote was unanimous for this. Why do you think that was?

JM: The amendments are rather standard in that they establish the legislative committees for the current Senate session. Legislative committees change with each administration.

Additionally, the amendment concerning the Faculty Senate Liaison was approved last year, so dissent was not expected at all this time around. Once again, this was essentially the same resolution approved last year but in the correct classification. The Constitution states that Bylaw revisions be considered Constitutional Business (CB) not Senate Business (SB).

TS: Do you have high expectations for the person in this position? (and why?)

JM: Jake and I are very excited about this position because it will open a direct channel of communication with Faculty Senate. Our relationship with Faculty Senate last year was a bit strained, and Jake and I feel that such a position could have prevented that. The Chair of Faculty Senate, Dr. Rebecca Woodard, has expressed her support for the position and intends to serve in its capacity.

TS: Was there a lot of other things included in the resolution besides the faculty liaison position? (If so, will you post it online soon?… or could you possibly attach a copy of it?)

JM: The resolution also contained amendments concerning standing legislative committees. This is standard procedure in establishing the committees desired by the SGA administration.

TS: Is this a brand new position?

JM: I have never had any indication that this position has existed before.

TS: Is this a permanent position now?

JM: No. This could be changed by the Senate with a 2/3rds vote of Senate seats filled as provided by Article IX, Section I of the SGA Constitution.

TS: Who was appointed to this position? (and for how long?)

JM: Dr. Rebecca Woodard, the Chair of Faculty Senate, was appointed to this position for the year.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

The Standard and John Maddux, 2009-2010 Speaker Pro Tempore

TS: What exactly is a faculty adviser/liaison? What will they do?

The Faculty Liaison is a nonvoting position in student government. The Faculty Liaison serves as a link between the SGA and the Faculty Senate. They are able to offer information to the senate and ask questions. The Faculty Liaison will attend SGA senate meetings and provide input on the faculty perspective and answer questions that any senators may ask them. The liaison will also facilitate communication between the SGA and the Faculty Senate by reporting any relevant information between the two.

TS: Why did SGA need a faculty liaison?

Faculty Senate is the voice of the faculty, just as the student senate is the voice of the students. It is our hope that the Faculty Liaison will allow for better coordination and communication between the two bodies to more effectively complete initiatives.

TS: What will having a faculty liaison/advisor mean for SGA? How will it be beneficial?

Having a Faculty Liaison in SGA will mean that senators can ask the faculty member questions during senate meetings, and the advisor will be able to provide a faculty perspective when appropriate. The liaison will also be able to give information on SGA to the Faculty Senate and provide their responses and concerns. This will allow for faculty to be more involved from the very beginning of a project, which should make new initiatives easier to agree on and finalize.