The 47th Legislature of the Student Government Association (SGA) rejected a resolution of student support for improving cellphone service in Cox Hall by next semester. It also indefinitely tabled a bill to fund an art project that would install empty journals around campus for people to write in.
According to SGA Representative-at-Large and College sophomore Sumaali Chheda, the University has two options for improving the cell phone service in Cox. The first would not require any extra money but would take five years to implement. She added that there was also no guarantee that it would be complete in five years.
The second would dip into a fund that the IT department reserves for unexpected circumstances, Chheda said. If the second plan is implemented, the cellphone service in Cox can be improved by next semester with a $100,000 cost.
According to Chheda, the owner of the building said he wanted to know whether the students supported this initiative.
Members of the Legislature said they were reluctant to spend that much money for something that was not a necessity.
"I think this is a huge waste of money," Goizueta Business School junior and SGA Junior Representative Luke Bucshon said. "Honestly I can go for 10 minutes in Cox and get some food without texting someone."
Bucshon also noted that, given the increase of tuition next year, he did not feel it would be a good decision for the University to spend money unnecessarily.
SGA Oxford Representative and Oxford College sophomore Hussein Halemeh agreed that he did not want his tuition money going toward cellphone service.
Because the IT fund does not have a prescribed purpose, some members of the Legislature said they wanted to table this bill until they could come up with an alternative use for the money.
The bill failed on a 7-9-7 decision.
Additionally, College sophomore Jonathan Weiss submitted a bill for an art project entitled "Emory Journal Project."
According to the bill, Weiss would distribute around 100 blank journals to the Emory community for students, teachers and deans to fill out with whatever they want and pass them along to someone else. When the journals have been filled, they would be "published as a portrait of Emory."
The bill estimates the project would require around $1,000.
However, Laney Graduate School Representative Laura Mariani said she thought it was a great idea, but the Finance Committee could not vote on the bill because it did not have a specific cost estimate. She added that because Weiss is not under a chartered organization, there is no way for SGA to transfer money to him.
Therefore, Mariani recommended that Weiss partner with an already chartered organization.
Members of the Legislature agreed that the project was an interesting idea but were conflicted about how to supply the funds.
Full-time MBA student and SGA Governance Chair David Kaplan asked whether SGA could simply use its budget to purchase the journals.
SGA Finance Committee Chair and College senior Calvin Lee said there was no guarantee the project would be successful.
SGA Sophomore Representative and College sophomore Ami Fields-Meyer said he supported funding the project because it is less about its success and more of a form of artistic expression. He also asked whether it was possible to retroactively fund the journals in the event that Weiss chooses to use his own money.
"I think we all agree this is a cool thing, and rarely do cool things come out of this organization," Fields-Meyer said.
SGA Representative-at-Large and College sophomore Raj Tilwa said it is hard to hold an individual accountable for using money wisely and much easier when there is an organization with their own budget.
Mariani reiterated that SGA could not vote on the bill because it did not give a specific estimate of the cost.
Ultimately, SGA voted to table the bill until Weiss is able to partner with a chartered organization or have a better estimate of the cost.
The legislature also unanimously appointed College sophomore Tyler Marchionne as secretary of SGA.
–By Rupsha Basu
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