The Graduate Student Senate tabled a resolution, filled a vacant position and sent an act back to committee Sunday night.
GSS postponed action on a bill that encourages Undergraduate Student Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against UOSA Superior Court.
The Superior Court sent down a decision that penalized the GSS $500 and two senators, Lindsey Harvell and Susan Adams Johnson, each $75 in connection to a March 21 forum discussing referendums in the general election.
The court issued an injunction against GSS holding the forum without equal time being given to both sides. The organizers of the event maintain it was not sponsored by GSS but by Graduate Students for a Better Tomorrow.
The author of the bill that encourages impeachment, Silas Deboer, was unhappy with the Superior Court’s ruling that the forum held violated an injunction against GSS holding a forum.
Deboer said the Superior Court had infringed upon GSS’s rights to freedom of speech.
“Frankly, if I were assessed this fine I wouldn’t pay it, just as I would hope that you wouldn’t pay it either,” Deboer said.
Secretary Derrell Cox asked the bill be tabled so he and other senators could familiarize themselves with the court decision that influenced the bill.
ELECTION BOARD VACANCY FILLED
GSS named Michael Upkong as special election chairman for the upcoming presidential run-off election.
UOSA Election Board Chairman Jeff Riles resigned Friday, stating in his resignation he needed to focus on finals and that the run-off election was a time conflict.
Other people considered for the position were Shane Pruitt, CAC candidate, John Jenning, previous UOSA chairman, and Nicholas Harrison, UOSA presidential candidate, said Susan Adams-Johnson, GSS chairwoman.
Harrison said President Katie Fox told him he would be the election chairman, and he was surprised Upkong was chosen at the meeting.
APPROPRIATIONS ACT SENT BACK
An act to provide administrative appropriations for 2010-2011 was sent back to the committee. The appropriations totaled $483,593. $164,200 for the campus activities council, $49,500 to GSS for grants, $40,000 for the UOSA office and general expenses and $163,383 for salaries and stipends.
Marilyn Krell asked for it to be tabled because of appropriations to UOSA office expenses and the Student Bar Association who were appropriated $9,000.
She said UOSA needed more money because she felt that in their previous budget, some expenses were left out or duplicated.
She also did not feel the Student Bar Association was an administrative office and should not be funded in this budget.
Undergraduate Student Congress Chairman and author of the bill Brett Stidham defended it and said tabling would be counterproductive.
“I think if we table it, it doesn’t make changes, it puts it on an imaginary table ... it doesn’t do anything, and it doesn’t make progress,” Stidham said.
He said a decision needed to be made within two weeks or else the money would not be distributed.
Stidham called the budget a “slash and burn” effort and said it trimmed away fat from previous budgets.
The legislation will go back to committee and be heard at next week’s meeting.
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soonerboomers 2 years, 1 month ago
Man what a waste of money. Although it is quite hilarious that the GSS is crying about their clear breach of their own rules. By the way, impeaching justices doesn't nullify their rulings. But I don't suppose you guys understand the rules well enough to realize that.
Okie3L 2 years, 1 month ago
Impeachment, really? Someone needs to tell those people to stop taking themselves so seriously.