The Constitution and Rules Committee (CRC) is preparing for the Student Association (SA) Constitutional Convention.
“We spent a lot of time on [the constitution],” CRC member Sen. Kaychelle English said. “It’s important for the student body to have an input.”
Students will be able to meet with the committee members and propose changes to the current SA constitution, Ayanna Thomas, vice president of academic affairs and governance, said.
The point of the convention is for students to voice their concerns to the CRC. They will consider the feedback for the SA constitution. Students will also be able to propose ideas and suggest changes in the constitution that may go into effect next semester.
Sen. Wendy Cohen said to prepare for the convention, the committee divided the constitution into multiple sections before spring break.
Thomas said every two years they review the SA constitution and bylaws. The committee and student members of the CRC were given parts of the SA constitution and asked to suggest changes.
The SA Constitutional Conventional will kick-off on April 21 with a discussion between CRC members and the student body about the constitution, which is a binding document for SA.
Committee members will have portions of the constitution and will host these meetings in several rooms on the first and second floors of the Student Union. Students will have to switch rooms if they want to review every part of the constitution.
On April 22, the CRC will meet up and revise the constitution. They will rewrite and possibly add to the constitution suggestions made by the student body, Thomas said.
Thomas said the committee is hoping to add some of the bills created this academic year into the constitution. Such bills include the ability of school clubs and organizations to appeal to the Budget and Finance Committee before the senate and another to create the Student Concerns Committee. They also hope to make it mandatory for the SA president to hold at least one forum each semester, similar to the race forum “Can We Talk About It?” conducted last fall.
Once the revisions are made, the CRC will then have to present them to the student senate and get their approval. For these changes to be added into the constitution, 10 to 12.5 percent of the student body needs to vote on it.
The changes made will only impact SUNY New Paltz.
English said she thinks it’s important for students to get involved since the constitution binds the student government to the student body.
“We have to represent the student body,” English said. “So the student body needs to represent themselves.”