The Student Government Association met Monday to reopen discussion on whether or not Greek Council, the overseer of campus fraternity and sorority organizations, would receive a budget next year.
Over 60 students from every Greek organization on campus made the trip up to the Waxahachie Room in the Coates Center to hear the decision. But as soon as the meeting was called to order, a problem became clear. Only about half of the senators were present, not nearly enough for a quorum to vote on anything.
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| Members from Greek organizations on campus crowded the room of the SGA meeting Monday night |
About halfway through the meeting, SGA Vice President Joseph Khalaf received an email from four of the missing senators, who were absent without giving excuses. The email read that they had elected to skip the meeting with the mindset that, in the shadow of finals, their time was better served as students studying, and not in service of their senatorial responsibilities.
“The prospect of having no annual budget is disturbing to us,” junior philosophy major, Daniel Conrad, said. “Being treated as if we were a registered student organization and not the governing body and leadership training service that we are would make it very difficult for us to reliably fulfill our mission of serving the Trinity community.”
Without a proper vote on budgets, all University-Sponsored Organizations (USOs), not just Greek Council, are left without allocated budgets.
For most of the rest of the meeting, the senators talked at a round table to figure out what to do. Without a quorum, no votes could be taken, and without votes the senate couldn’t make any decisions. Student Senator Sam Afshari went as far as calling the situation “an embarrassment to the SGA.”
“I felt like it was very immature of them not to come,” said Stacey Debner, junior Spanish and sociology major, after the meeting. She is a member of Greek life herself and has a stake in the funding situation. “SGA wasn't only talking about Greek Council’s funding at this meeting, but deciding the exact amounts of funding each USO would receive.”
After much deliberation, including discussions of impeachment of absent senators, SGA President Nick Santulli eventually used his right of veto to reverse the position on funding Greek Council, meaning that “the spirit” of the Greek Council budget proposal was approved.
“Obviously, the beginning was rough, but I'm glad that by the end senate was able to come together and forge a clear path forward,” said Santulli.
The senate will reconvene and finalize budget concerns tomorrow (Friday) at 3 p.m. in the Waxahachie room. If a quorum is once again not met at the meeting, the Senate will go to an electronic form of voting. Only when those options are not President Nick Santuli said it has been agreed to automatically allot each USO whatever budget they first requested.
“The prospect of having no annual budget is disturbing to us,” junior philosophy major, Daniel Conrad, said. “Being treated as if we were a registered student organization and not the governing body and leadership training service that we are would make it very difficult for us to reliably fulfill our mission of serving the Trinity community.”
Without a proper vote on budgets, all University-Sponsored Organizations (USOs), not just Greek Council, are left without allocated budgets.
For most of the rest of the meeting, the senators talked at a round table to figure out what to do. Without a quorum, no votes could be taken, and without votes the senate couldn’t make any decisions. Student Senator Sam Afshari went as far as calling the situation “an embarrassment to the SGA.”
“I felt like it was very immature of them not to come,” said Stacey Debner, junior Spanish and sociology major, after the meeting. She is a member of Greek life herself and has a stake in the funding situation. “SGA wasn't only talking about Greek Council’s funding at this meeting, but deciding the exact amounts of funding each USO would receive.”
After much deliberation, including discussions of impeachment of absent senators, SGA President Nick Santulli eventually used his right of veto to reverse the position on funding Greek Council, meaning that “the spirit” of the Greek Council budget proposal was approved.
“Obviously, the beginning was rough, but I'm glad that by the end senate was able to come together and forge a clear path forward,” said Santulli.
The senate will reconvene and finalize budget concerns tomorrow (Friday) at 3 p.m. in the Waxahachie room. If a quorum is once again not met at the meeting, the Senate will go to an electronic form of voting. Only when those options are not President Nick Santuli said it has been agreed to automatically allot each USO whatever budget they first requested.
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