When the funding issue was resolved, the Senate moved on to another question which could have had an impact on the upcoming election. A bill was introduced which would have linked the positions of President and Vice President; much like in our national elections. There were strong feelings on both sides of the question.
The senators in support of the bill felt that it would act as a guarantee that the senate would have executives who could work well together. There were strong feelings that unification of the two positions would eliminate controversy and that "diversity is not necessary among leaders." If the President and Vice President had agreed to work together when they decided to run for office, they would surely work as a team to carry out their goals. A final point was made that this might help to generate more excitement for the elections and the senate as a whole, with one member pointing out that many people had showed up to the meeting, only to leave after the Winter Carnival received its funding.
Those who spoke against the bill seemed to feel that there never had been a conflict among the executives that maturity and a professional manner could not overcome. There was concern that some good candidates might not run for office if they had to find a running mate. The question of what happens if two friends win an election and then have a falling out came up; there is no way to guarantee that two people will agree on all issues.
In the end the senators deadlocked over the issue, 10 to 10 with several abstentions among those who had heard the debate but were apparently still confused. Vice President Reidy, who was presiding for President Connelly (who was absent), had to cast the deciding vote. Apparently siding with those who believed that candidates elected separately can stand on their own merits, she voted to reject the bill.
Two more bills: the Student Government Budgeting Amendment and the Reserve Restructuring Amendment were quickly passed. They were for the most part a follow up of the SGA's move from OCFC class III last fall and they needed to be passed to straighten out a few issues.
The final bill of the night was the Social Fee Restructuring Proposal. This proposal was offered as an alternative to the social fee increase which was proposed last fall. As there was little support for the increase in fees, this proposal was looking to move some of the expenses from the social fee to the institute.
Currently, social fee money helps to pay some of the Assistant Director for Student Activities' salary as well as for a service contract on the film projectors in Perreault Hall. The projectors were given as a gift to the institute and the proposal indicates that the institute should be responsible for them, not the students.
The social fee is smaller this year than last, as the number of undergraduates has decreased. Added to this is the fact that SGA established a capital reserve last fall, the Music Association moved into OCFC class III and WPIR is being added to the groups that receive funding. With the recent additions of Winter Carnival and Quadfest to the list of things that the social fee is supposed to support, the fund is drying up.
The bill was withdrawn before a vote came up, but SGA is still considering ways to support student activities as best they can. One problem with the proposal is that it would require money to come from somewhere else in the institute's budget; at a time when every department on campus is feeling the need to cut expenses. Without raising income or cutting expenses somewhere, the roughly $20,000 just can't be found.
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