After achieving quorum half an hour late due to senators attending the sophomore faculty dinner, the ASSU Undergraduate Senate passed four bills Tuesday. The bills amended the rules of order of the Constitutional Council, instituted a Senate transition, reformed the special fees process and confirmed Senate Chair Michael Cruz ’12 as ASSU Vice President.
ASSU Executive Angelina Cardona ’11 nominated Cruz Monday to replace Kelsei Wharton ’12, who resigned after taking a leave of absence following a bike accident at the beginning of the quarter. After confirming Cruz as vice president, the Senate opted to determine a new chair and deputy chair to take office if the Graduate Student Council (GSC) confirms Cruz today. Madeline Hawes ’13 ran unopposed for chair and was elected unanimously by a role call vote. Pat Bruny ’13 and Deepa Kannappan ’13 ran for deputy chair. Bruny was selected nine to five in a closed ballot vote, with Cruz abstaining.
For Cruz to assume the role as vice president, and for Hawes and Bruny to assume their new responsibilities, the GSC must approve Cardona’s nomination with two-thirds consent.
The GSC will also likely vote today on the special fees reform legislation passed Tuesday. The Senate adopted a friendly amendment by GSC members to the bill, stipulating that the ASSU financial manager shall remind student group leaders of the private nature of information released about students who request special fees refunds.
The Senate also passed a bill amending the rules of order of the Constitutional Council Tuesday. Council member Mateo Wilmott ’11 stressed that, prior to Tuesday’s bill, very little guiding structure existed to direct the Constitutional Council in hearing cases.
“It was chaotic, really,” he said.
All members of the Constitutional Council stayed at Tuesday’s meeting to participate in the discussion of a bill on previous notice to “more properly define the role of the ASSU solicitors general.”
Solicitor general Adam Adler ’12 described the bill as similar to that to amend the rules of order of the Constitutional Council–as a mechanism to make filing cases concerning actions by the ASSU easier for the average student.
Members of the Constitutional Council said the bill oversteps it bounds.
Samir Siddhanti ’12 likened the bill to “a group of lawyers defining how a courtroom is run.”
Both bodies, at the suggestion of the senators, agreed to meet in the coming week to reach a compromise.
The Appropriations Committee, after receiving nominations, motioned for the Senate to give the “financial officer of the year” award to Van Anh Tran ‘13, financial officer of the Stanford Asian American Students’ Association (SAASA). Vazquez praised Tran’s work and the Senate agreed unanimously to grant her the award.
Cardona announced at Tuesday’s meeting that her State of the Association Address will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8.
Amid the discussion about electing a new Senate chair and deputy chair and subsequent shifting of responsibility, it was announced that Carolyn Simmons ’13 and Ben Jensen ’12 will be spending spring quarter abroad, in Santiago and Berlin, respectively. They will be the last senators to spend a quarter abroad while in office, due to legislation passed last year prohibiting study abroad for senators beginning next year.
Advocacy committee chair Robin Perani ’13 is organizing for and encouraging all of the senators to get tested for STIs at Vaden on Friday afternoon, as a model for the entire student body.
“We’re doing it for the whole Stanford community,” Perani said.
Showly Wang ’13 also came by to encourage the senators to attend the Vagina Monologues. As promised, she gave members of the Appropriations Committee free tickets to express her appreciation.
All funding bills for the evening were passed.