With a student government resolution condemning Iran’s nuclear proliferation program in the midst, the Student Senate on Wednesday debated its role on campus and whether it should change its rules to allow it to tackle national and international issues.
Currently, the Senate is only permitted to make resolutions that directly relate to the incidental fee, but the Senate Rules Committee proposed changes on Wednesday that would allow resolutions that are unrelated to the incidental fee.
The debate brought out more emotion than at any other Student Senate meeting this year – enough that one senator made a motion to restrict the amount of time senators could talk to just two minutes because the speakers list was so long. Eight of the 16 senators eventually voted to send the proposed rule changes back to the rules committee to reword and clarify several clauses. In the meantime, senators will also try to come to a consensus on the Senate’s role.
The rule changes were proposed following a decision by the ASUO Constitution Court, a body of five justices that has supreme authority on all questions of the ASUO Constitution, that denied a Senate resolution in the fall that took a stance against increased textbook prices.
The Court rejected the resolution because the Green Tape Notebook, the ASUO policy and rules manual for all student government branches, states that the Student Senate has the authority to pass resolutions “relating to the allocation and/or expenditure and/or other use of incidental fees.”
The changes are not necessarily being designed with any resolution in mind, but Senator Jared Axelrod, who is on the rules committee, has recently sponsored one proposed resolution that would take a stance against the Iranian government’s nuclear proliferation program. The stance has elicited mixed responses from student government leaders.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Senator Wally Hicks, the law school representative, said the resolutions rule change, which calls the role of the Senate into question and makes it subject to change, is a “delicate situation.” Several senators flagged their yellow “ditto” cards as Hicks cautioned that the Student Senate’s credibility – earned from its successes so far in generating consensus – is at stake, he said.
“We haven’t even passed the thing yet and we’ve already offended people,” Hicks said.
Senator Mike Filippelli, the rules committee chairman, named several instances this year when the Senate took a stance against an issue, such as fan behavior at athletic events, selling the Westmoreland housing complex and high textbook prices.
“(These) are definitely pertinent student issues that we should be able to take an opinion on,” Filippelli said.
Senate Vice President Sara Hamilton said, “Great work comes from controversial issues.”
Senator Kyle McKenzie said the purpose of resolutions is to represent the student body as a whole.
“Who are we to say we know everything about every issue?” he asked. “I mean, I don’t know everything about textbooks.”
Several senators expressed their frustration with the proposed changes.
Senator Dallas Brown apologized for being “nit-picky” but said he doesn’t want to put the Senate’s name on something that is unclear.
“You guys are getting upset with me because I’m clarifying,” he said. “If you guys don’t like Senate and don’t want to be here, then don’t be on it.”
Senator Toby Piering asked senators not to get defensive just because their work is questioned or critiqued. He told senators to “take constructive criticism for what it’s worth and not defend yourself every time.”
Student Senate PresidentStephanie Erickson said the Constitution Court interprets the resolutions clause differently than previous courts.
For example, she said, last year the Court approved a resolution against what Senators called racist school mascots, prohibiting the Ducks from playing such schools. Whether this affects the incidental fee is debatable because student incidental fees do pay for tickets to football and men’s basketball games.
ASUO President Adam Walsh has said that adding opinion or position resolutions to the rules would require a student election because the changed rules would still oppose the ASUO Constitution.
Section 6.2 of the Constitution requires that the Student Senate act only on matters that represent the collective and constituent interests, issues taken up by the University Senate or General Council. Senate can also act on other issues coming before another governing body on campus that relate to “student personnel services, University administered housing, campus design, and University budgeting, except otherwise provided for in this Constitution.”
Senators voted to clarify one clause that didn’t require adhering to the Constitution. It now reads, “An issue resolution expresses an opinion or position of the Student Senate which does not relate to incidental fees yet falls within the guidelines laid out in the ASUO Constitution 6.2.” Six senators voted against the amendment.
Senators will meet at the rules committee meeting today in the EMU Umpqua Room at 3 p.m. and again at the “make Senate better” meeting scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. The room has not yet been announced.
 

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