In a meeting tinged with camaraderie after USG’s second-place showing at this year’s Big Man fundraiser, the Undergraduate Senate approved several bills, including the use of rollover funds for more on-campus furniture, revised Supreme Court Bylaws and confirmed Senator Lindsay to Elections Commissioner. The full minutes of the April 17, 2023 meeting can be found here.
The meeting began with a short discussion followed by a vote on Amendment XXV, which revised the Supreme Court’s bylaws. The bill passed 19-0, with one abstention.
The bylaws outline the attendance policy for justices, the types of cases they will evaluate and the policy for redacting information, among other things.
The main point of contention surrounded the provision that established three as the minimum number of justices needed for the court to function. Freshman Senator Andrew Erickson challenged the minimum, proposing that five justices might better serve the court by including a wider pool of adjudicators. However, Senator Erickson relented, upon points by Justice Grant Williamson, among others, that the three-justice minimum would ensure the Court functioned even if participation wavered. Senator Erickson still recommended that a larger pool be pursued for a diversity of opinions.
Senior Senator Eli Rocke also proposed that the Supreme Court’s three to eleven justices “meet an odd quorum,” preventing a potential deadlock on the court. Though the stipulation was codified, USG President Abbie McAdams reiterated that, per the Supreme Court bylaws, tiebreaks would be decided by the Justice Primus.
More amendments were proposed and approved, 19-0, with the adoption of Bill 70, which amended the regulations of the Student Organizations Committee (SOC), concerning the sanctioning of RSOs. The amendment clarifies the jurisdiction of USG, limiting the scope of cases to issues of registration, licensing and compliance.
For allegations received by SOC that are deemed valid, the amendment reads, “the SOC will confirm with a delegate from Student Affairs and/or EIOX” as to the jurisdiction of USG. The responsibility for hearing appeals was shifted from the Director of Student Engagement to the Judicial Branch.
The only change made to the language during the meeting was that in the event a member of the sanctioning committee is unavailable or has a conflict of interest, the acting President Pro Tempore would appoint an alternate.
Bill 71, which passed 19-0, appointed and confirmed Sen. Lindsay Baker as Elections Commissioner for the 2022-23 USG Year to the resounding approval of the Senate. Several senators, including Sophomore Senator Rachel Bienstock and On-Campus Senator Tyler Miller, among others, lauded Baker’s previous hard work and responsibility, recommending her, without question, for the position.
“I would like to take this as a rare opportunity to publicly thank Lindsay for all that she does—always working in the background, always working to help other peoples’ days be a little bit easier,” said Miller.
The final bill of the evening, Bill 72, allotted $10,099 to the Outdoor Improvement Plan, which will work to improve on-campus coves by the purchase of new outdoor furniture: 8 single-person hammock stands, two three-person hammock stands and 20 Adirondack chairs.
Roll-over funds are USG’s accumulated capital, predominantly stemming from the COVID-19 era where spending was limited, available for one-time purchases that serve the student body. Proposals are open to the entire student body, and requests of under $10,000 are evaluated by USG’s committee chairs and Vice President while larger proposals are heard and voted on by the entire Senate.
The bill’s author, Freshman Senator Dylan Lindsey, presented briefly on the weeks of deliberation leading up to the proposal. He fielded concerns about high costs, citing that the furniture was regularly selected by DU and other universities due to its durability and comfort.
Natural Sciences and Mathematics Senator Mattie Hyde lobbied for the placement of chairs and hammocks in less-central locations on campus that are often used but under-furnished, including the Garden Oasis outside of Olin Hall and the Engineering building. Lindsey explained that, though USG could recommend placement, once the funding was provided to DU Facilities, the layout would be up to their discretion. However, he noted, DU students have the ability to place a work order request to have outdoor furniture moved, and, generally, the facilities department subscribes to the “natural migration” of furniture based on student needs.
A short discussion ensued about the general use of roll-over funds. Senator Erickson pointed out that, as representatives of the student body, the use of $600,000 in surplus funds should be a central focus of USG, and more proposals should be developed and presented by senators; Senator Miller expressed that, despite that, caution was necessary for responsible use of the funds.
To concerns of the excess funds being taken out of the hands of USG by DU administration for alternative use, President Abbie McAdams assured that the money was USG’s to be used as USG saw fit, no matter how long it goes unused.
The Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee’s report featured DACA/UNDOCU Week. Currently in progress, from Monday, April 24 until Friday, April 28, the programming is designed to serve and celebrate undocumented students or recipients of DACA protections.
During committee reports—among notable mentions of USG’s Lyft project, RSO re-registration and a meeting with Divest DU—Big Man took center stage. Most notably, President Pro Tempore Chris Crosby and Senator Hyde gushed appreciation for the support and participation the group received in their first run at the title.
“Big Man week was nuts,” said Crosby. “I was looking at an audience of, like, ten million people,” he joked. “It was a lot of fun. Even though we got second, I think we all know that we really got first.”
“Big Man … thank you,” said Senator Hyde. “Your support was unreal … I’m just so happy to be in USG, and I’m really glad I found my people.”
