By Carly Taylor and Carrie Snurr
Staff writers
CORRECTION: Due to a reporting error, a previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the SGA’s vice president of financial affairs would receive a per-semester stipend of $10,180. The total stipend is $10,180, but after taxes, the vice president is paid a total of $5,090 per year, or $2,545 per semester. This story has been updated.
The SGA voted Wednesday to add a stipend for the vice president of financial affairs and to add a new representative position for international students during its final meeting of the semester, among other initiatives.
Since March, Student Government Association members and other students on the campus attended weekly constitution and bylaws committee meetings to propose changes to the organization’s governing documents. On April 19, students who attended at least four committee meetings voted on which proposals would advance to its annual omnibus meeting. Funding for the position comes from the Student Activities Fee.
While there was no “main theme” to the proposals, they reflect the SGA’s goal to reform several aspects of the organization for future members, current President Katherine Swanson said.
“It reflects the fact that we take a hard look at what’s going on and what needs to change,” said Swanson, a senior government and politics major.
Creation of a new stipend
The SGA voted unanimously Wednesday night to pay its vice president of financial affairs a yearly stipend, receiving half of the total amount per semester. While the payment is set as $10,180 per year, after taxes, the vice president only receives $5,090, or $2,545, per semester.
Alia Abdelkader, vice president of financial affairs for the 2017-18 academic year and a junior information systems and operations management and business analytics major, will receive this payment pending approval of the Committee on Ethics, as well as the Adviser to the Committee on Financial Affairs to the Student Organization Resource Center.
The financial affairs vice president’s work takes up significant amounts of time, Swanson said, preventing the position-holder from taking an outside job to help pay for tuition and other university-related fees.
The student body president is paid the same stipend and is the only SGA member currently paid. The Committee on Ethics approves the honorarium once it has determined the president has fulfilled his or her duties.
Former SGA presidential candidate Christopher Boretti argued during election debates the president should not receive an honoraria, because it is unnecessary to pay members to serve the student body, he said.
Some SGA members raised concerns at the constitution and bylaws committee meetings, claiming the financial vice president’s honoraria could lead to the call for other executive members to receive the same payment. Perry Bloch, the current vice president of financial affairs, argued he puts in just as many hours as the president, unlike other executive board members.
Changes to the legislature
A proposed amendment to eliminate the director of shared governance failed to pass at the meeting.
Jonathan Allen, an undergraduate studies representative, proposed to eliminate the position because it is repetitive and its duties, such as maintaining connections with the University Senate, Residence Hall Association and Graduate Student Government, are already fulfilled by other executive positions, the sophomore economics major said.
The SGA created the committee of shared governance in 2014 to strengthen the connection between the SGA and other student governing bodies on the campus. The SGA eliminated the committee last year, largely because its members “did not do much with it,” Swanson said.
“It’s a really important position; it just needs to be in the hands of the right person,” Swanson said. “Having someone who keeps tabs on the RHA, GSG and all of those groups is important because it’s hard to place that on the president with all the things we have to do.”
The SGA also voted to create a director of civic engagement to serve on the executive cabinet. The director would be responsible for election-related activities at the campus, local, state and national levels.
Some of the director’s responsibilities include conducting TerpsVOTE registration drives for elections relevant to students, working with the SGA director of city affairs on improving student participation in College Park elections and working with the SGA director of governmental affairs to boost participation in state and national elections.
The director would also work with the Office of Community Engagement, Stamp Student Union and students to increase civic engagement during non-election seasons, according to the bylaws.
The director of civic engagement will co-vice chair the Committee on Governmental Affairs.
International student representative
The SGA voted 24-1, with one abstention, to add an international student representative to reflect “a significant population that has unique challenges and perspective,” said parliamentarian Leah Barteldes, a sophomore government and politics major.
South Hill representative Marie-Therese Meye inspired the idea, as she is the first exchange student to serve on the SGA in the past few years, Barteldes said. Meye is visiting from Germany and is studying North American studies at this university.
The position would increase communication about events affecting international students on the campus, such as a mandatory $125 fee per semester from the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, Meye said.
“It would be beneficial for international students if someone was there to fight for our rights and needs and stand up for that portion of the community because we have a different situation,” Meye said, adding that language and cultural barriers can sometimes challenge international students who visit this university.
The international student representative will maintain regular dialogue with the Office of International Students and Scholar Services.
Amendments to anti-discrimination policy
The SGA voted unanimously to not discriminate against members for “citizenship status” and “socioeconomic status.” Previously, the SGA constitution stated that the organization cannot discriminate against its members based on characteristics like race, color, creed and sex.
The SGA also voted to mandate the director of diversity and inclusion to advocate for students that may be discriminated against based on “citizenship status” and “socioeconomic status.” The SGA also voted to not discriminate against student groups based on “citizenship status” and “socioeconomic status” when considering group recognition, and likewise, the organization will not recognize student groups that discriminate based on these characteristics.
Ja’Nya Banks, current director of diversity and inclusion, said increasing the realm of what diversity means is important, especially in the current political climate.
“It’s important to empower students who may feel like they are discriminated against because of their citizenship and socioeconomic status,” Banks said. “Having a variety of backgrounds is important to bring in for new perspectives.”
Additional representative seats
The SGA voted to add academic representative seats for the public policy school and the information studies college. Last fall, the two schools began offering undergraduate programs, which this university approved in spring 2016. Undergraduates can now pursue a major in information science or in public policy, as well as a minor in the public policy school.
The SGA voted to define the consequences if legislators use non-reusable plastic water bottles during meetings. Legislators will now be subject to strikes issued by the speaker of the legislature if they do not obey the mandate.
On the third offense, the legislator will be brought to the ethics committee, “where further consequences will be administered,” according to reformed bylaws.
Debates over proposals regarding the use of plastic water bottles have been contentious in the past because many legislators are concerned with the effects that such use has on the environment, said Mihir Khetarpal, director of the governmental affairs committee.
The SGA voted to reduce the minimum GPA legislators must maintain throughout their term from a 2.5 to a 2.0. The legislature voted to match this requirement with the minimum requirement to run in a student government election, said Khetarpal, a junior government and economics major.
The SGA also voted to further define the process of organizing training sessions for newly appointed representatives. The recruitment and retention coordinator will work with the SGA president, vice president of finance, parliamentarian and speaker to organize sessions including finance training, parliamentary procedure, cultural competency training and a new member retreat.
The SGA voted to amend executive cabinet duties and responsibilities by adding the cabinet must “ensure successful transition between terms” by sharing knowledge, previous work, connections and relationships and other information to contact or access resources with successors.”
