Article 11 of the ENC Student Body Constitution was reformed following a vote that took place during the SGA and student council meeting on October 27.
The Article originally stated that 67% of the votes from the student body, in a well publicized election (as deemed by the SGA liaison and VP of Student Development) were needed in order to make any amendments to the Constitution. It has now been changed to streamline the amending process. The Article now states that “A two-thirds majority vote of the General SGA and Class Councils together shall be sufficient to ratify the proposed amendment.”
Executive Vice President Chris Estep asserted that though students cannot vote in the amending process, the meetings for their proposal and voting are still open to the public. The meetings are held on Thursdays in the 24-hour room at 8pm. For a list of a list of specific dates and times, he advises students to email a member of General SGA.
The proposed change passed almost unanimously, with 93% of the voting student body approving of the change. “I’m pleased that this amendment was passed by such a sizable majority of the student body,” Estep said. Estep helped coordinate the writing process for the Article 11 amendment. “I also believe that this amendment is going to be really helpful when it comes to making Student Government work more effectively for more students more often.”
The amendment has faced opposition, however. In response to the amendment’s ratification, student Connor Theroux said, “Now, the student councils and SGA can sneak something through without running it by any of the student body.”
On the other hand, SGA President Noelle Rudeen feels the amendment will allow SGA to live up to its potential. “Students voted for members of SGA and student council because they trust them,” she stated. “Article 11 is a chance for them to exercise that trust.”
One student in particular remains neutral in this decision. “I don’t know if this is bad or not,” says senior Dan Petty, “But there are some problems with how power dynamics are changed.”
However people may feel about the amendment, the ratification has passed, and in due time the results should be visible. Whether or not Article 11 is effective, the 93% vote expresses the Student Body’s ability to pass amendments and get work done.