SGA Update

An on-going discussion of Feb student over-representation among SGA Senators came to a head at the meeting last Sunday, Dec. 2, in which the Senate passed a bill limiting Feb students from running and voting for class senate seats in a vote of 8-5-3. SGA President Charlie Arnowitz ’13 and others pushed for an amendment to the Feb bylaws viewing it as systematically unfair to allow Febs to run for both the class seats and Feb seats, while regular students are limited to running only for class senate seats.

The Junior Senators Killian Naylor ’14.5 and Will Potter ’14.5 — both Febs — raised issue with the amendments, arguing that many Febs identify more strongly with their class than as Febs, and that it is unduly restricting to regulate their election privileges in this manner.

The final amendments to the bylaws resulted in the following rules and included changes to the language concerning elections of Junior senators: to ensure a more proportional ratio of Febs to regular students in the Senate, Febs may run and vote only for Feb senate seats, while regular students may run and vote only for class seats. In addition, students hoping to fill junior senate spots will run for a senate seat in the fall and spring separately, so as not to discriminate against students who study abroad.

Further consideration of removing the Feb senate seat altogether, in favor of combined class representatives for Febs and regular students, will continue in coming semesters.

The Director of Transportation Barbara Ofosu-Somuah ’13 gave a report on the condition of the break buses. The program suffered a $4,050 loss over fall break but recovered with a gain of $3,760 over Thanksgiving vacation, for a net deficit of $290. For the future, buses will be cancelled a week before the expected date of departure if not enough tickets are purchased. Ofosu-Somuah and Arnowitz both met with Midd Transit representatives but were unable to negotiate a change in price.