The campus judicial board recently made suggestions to the student senate regarding possible bylaws to avoid appeals similar to ones that were made over the past few weeks.
These suggestions were made in hopes of resolving problems and miscommunication over budgeting for conference attendance and the handling of finances raised for charities.
“There haven’t been any bylaw amendments passed yet,” said Chief Justice of the Judicial Board Travis Nanek. “It has to be approved by the whole senate.”
Discussion was sparked in regard to the conference budget after two separate groups, each planning to attend the 2010 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, presumed they had the entire maximum $1,800 per conference limit to utilize.
Nanek said a major cause of the discrepancy was the lack of a Vice President of Finance in office at the time, but the board still thought of ways around it.
“The judicial board had suggested … that the senate possibly think of another line in the budget to deal with presenters and non-presenters,” he said.
There’s currently only one line, but implementing another would allow for each group to have a different limit.
The second appeal that bylaws have been in talks about is the problem that arose with charity funds raised by Invisible Children.
Suggestions were made to perfect the procedure to ensure that money is still there in the Student Association’s possession if anyone quits, and clarifying who it will be sent to. They also wanted to allow the actual organization to communicate with the charity.
“[The judicial board suggested] to always make sure that a letter is in the business office saying who the money goes out to and how much money,” Nanek said, “and this will be sent with the money. We have a dispersing agent who’s supposed to be sending these things out, but how’s she supposed to send it out if she doesn’t know where to send it?”
Although these suggestions have been made, the amending of appropriate bylaws is ultimately up to the senate, with the writing being a very meticulous process.
“One word can change the entire meaning of a bylaw,” SA President Jennifer Sanchez said.