The next Student Government Association (SGA) Senate meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 7th at 7:30 pm. On the agenda is the anticipated proposal in Senate Bill 12.42, sponsored by Senator Kai Speed (Sophomore, A&S) that passed unanimously at the February 21st Senate session. The resolution formally requested that the Student Organization Advisory Board (SOAB) send an official request to the Senate to suspend the charter of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity (PIKE) for one year for violations of the student code of conduct.
According to trusted anonymous sources in SGA close to LPR, the SOAB will most likely wait until the meeting to announce a decision, either requesting that the Senate pursue action against PIKE or officially choosing not to act upon the resolution. LPR has reached out to SOAB for comment and is awaiting a response.
Another piece of legislation up for debate is Senate Bill 12.39 sponsored by Senator Nino Owens (Junior, A&S). The bill was introduced last session and aims to amend section 4 of the SGA Constitution to grant the Senate the ability to call a student strike. It was sent to the Executive Board, a student senate committee, after the last Senate meeting where the bulk of the proposed amendment remained unchanged but the requirements necessary for the Senate to call such a strike were altered. The new language sets a higher voting and support threshold that must be met in order for the SGA to begin the strike process. The proposed amendment now states that a strike may be called by a ⅔ vote of the Senate only after the joint request of the SGA Top 4 (President, Executive Vice President, Academic Vice President, and Services Vice President) accompanied by a petition signed by 2,500 students or an independent petition presented to the Senate signed by 2,500 students.
The body of the amendment also specifies two types of strikes the Senate may call: academic strikes and financial strikes. An academic strike is defined by the bill as, “Students willfully refusing to attend classes to express their opinions and demand a change in a specific university policy or practice.” A financial strike is defined as, “Students refusing to attend university events or refusing to make payments for tuition or university services.” The Senate would be responsible for determining the kind of strike and the Top 4 and executive staff would be responsible for communicating the details of the strike to the University administration and student body.
For those interested in any of the topics mentioned in this article, the next Senate meeting will be held on March 7th at 7:30 in the Horn Auditorium at the College of Business. All Senate meetings are open to the public and students are encouraged to come and participate.
Louisville Political Review 