The undergraduate legislators of the 50th Legislature of the Student Government Association (SGA) continued discussions on the proposed undergraduate Student Government Association restructure Monday, following the SGA meeting in which the legislature granted funding to an African cultural event.
After considering last week’s feedback, SGA College-wide Representative and College junior William Palmer presented undergraduate SGA legislators with a revised version of the proposed undergraduate legislature which would consist of 15 members. Last week, undergraduate legislators discussed what the new undergraduate structure would look like after SGA splits into two autonomous branches, an undergraduate branch and a graduate branch. Palmer increased the proposed number of legislators on the undergraduate legislature in response to concerns that only 10 members would lead to insufficient discussion and participation in SGA.
The undergraduate legislature proposal included one member from each year in the College; two College-wide representatives; one junior and one senior BBA representative; one BBA-wide representative; one junior and one senior Nursing representative; one Nursing-wide representative; one freshman and one sophomore Oxford College representative; one Oxford continuee representative; and one ex-officio Graduate Student Government Association (GSGA) member. Each undergraduate legislator would also sit on a divisional council to “improve communication,” according to Palmer.
All committees, with the possible exception of the Diversity and Equity Committee, would no longer be needed because the matters they oversee would be handled by SGA as a whole, Palmer said. He said that the Executive, Constitutional Council and Finance Committee will remain unchanged.
Undergraduate legislators raised concerns about committee elimination, since legislators typically form committees to carry projects to fruition. Diversity and Equity Committee member and College sophomore Ruben Diaz Vasquez argued against his committee’s dismantlement.
“Diversity and equity has to be something that everyone is considering as they’re legislating,” Diaz Vasquez said.
SGA Attorney General and Goizueta Business School senior Christopher Lam suggested ad hoc committees, which would be organized as needed in the undergraduate government structure.
During its legislative session, SGA passed Bill 50s818 requesting $2,000 to rent a room at the Emory Conference Center for the African Student Association’s “Taste of Africa” event by a majority vote.
Correction (Feb. 1 at 3:45 p.m.): The article originally referred to the Student Government Association composed only of undergraduate students as Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA). USGA does not exist.
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