Student Council Passes Constitutional Reforms

By Ashley Jane

At their latest meeting on February 21, Student Council members voted in favor of passing a series of constitutional reforms. These reforms were introduced to the council over two days. The first reform focused on ensuring each dorm is represented equally in StuCo, by altering the formula used to calculate the number of representatives per dorm. As a result, six dorms will lose a representative. The second reform allows Student Council members to gain voting power as a select representative through a new, simplified process. Potential select representatives now must apply to and appear before the Student Council Assembly. The next reform implemented a new voting procedure for Student Council members, that aims to provide class representatives with more voting power, as they represent a much larger group of students than dorm representatives. The final reform discussed on January 31 outlined a clearer role and responsibilities for the Executive Board Vice President.

On February 7, three more reforms were presented. The first reform allows the Student Council Assembly to break election ties through an anonymous vote. The second reform aimed to increase trust and transparency in Student Council elections, by establishing certain protections from “political influence” and defining disqualification procedures. The final reform established the Constituional Conflicts and Issues Caucus, whose members will include the Executive Board, Student Council advisers, Elections Committee chairs, and one class representative. This sweeping set of reforms represent the first significant edit to the Student Council Constitution since 1998.