SGA presents two bills and appoints new chief justice

During its first meeting of the semester, the Student Government Association conducted a reading of Senate Bill 05 Constitutional Convention Amendments Bill, an Acting Interim Bylaw Bill and appointed a new chief justice.

“We’ve been working on the constitutional convention since the summer,” SGA President José Pablo Rojas said during the Zoom meeting. “And this is basically a reformation of

the SGA, to better provide for our student population, current and future.”

If the student body votes to amend the constitution, some of the changes that would be made include:

–Undergraduate students must maintain good academic standing as defined by the university for enrollment at the time of application and appointment throughout their SGA term. This change would remove the minimum 2.5 GPA requirement.

–Vice presidents will no longer be required to represent a campus. This change would remove the requirement to be enrolled in at least six credit hours at the location they desire to represent at the time of application or appointment and while holding office.

–Vice presidents will coordinate the actions and efforts of the SGA at the direction of the president for each campus, satellite campus and university facility in the UTRGV domain.

–At the time of assuming office, graduate students who have completed an undergraduate degree at UTRGV are eligible under the undergraduate requirements.

–The executive cabinet will consist of the chief of staff, secretary of administration and finance, the secretary of communications and recruitment, and the secretary of graduate affairs.

–Of the four academic senators and four graduate senators, none will need to represent a different location.

–The seven members of the Supreme Court would consist of four associate justices, two faculty/staff associate justices, and one chief justice, which must be filled by a student. The change would remove the requirement of all associate justices to represent either the Brownsville or Edinburg campus.

–The chief justice will initialize and oversee the removal and impeachment process as designated in the bylaws. The creation and dissolvement of a student court system will also be at the discretion of the chief justice.

–The First Year Internship Program director will move from the executive cabinet to its own branch in collaboration with SGA.

Rojas, who is one of 13 authors of the bill, said the next step will be to send the piece of legislation to Internal Affairs for review, then back to the Senate, which will then decide if the student body will vote on the changes to the constitution.

As previously reported by The Rider, if the amendments are approved by two-thirds of those who voted, the revised constitution will take effect in the 2022-2023 academic year.

Rojas was also one of four authors of the Acting Interim Bylaw Bill.

“Mainly, its components is to allow the Student Government Association to appoint members … into interim positions,” he said. “Particularly the presidency, the chair of the senate, and the chief justice to ensure that the Student Government Association continues with any type of procedure that is stipulated in our governing documents.”

He further explained that there have been situations in the past where a president has had the need to either resign or has been removed. Rojas added that regardless of the circumstance, there should be a form of a plan laid out to ensure the progression of the SGA.

The proposed bylaws are as follows:

–In the case of a presidential vacancy, the vice president that was stipulated in the act of succession will assume the presidency and its responsibilities for 30 days or until a senate meeting is called for the election of the president.

–In the case of a chief justice vacancy, the president will appoint an existing associate justice to the role of interim chief justice and its responsibilities for 30 days or until a candidate is presented to the senate floor.

–At the time of their absence in a senatorial event or at a prescribed time stamp designated by their person, the chair of the senate will delegate their senatorial roles and responsibilities to their fellow senate officers. Based on the designation of the chair of the senate, the secretary or the sergeant-at-arms will assume coordination and control of the senatorial process.

The bill will be reviewed by Internal Affairs to vote on, table, or conduct any edits to be relayed to its authors.

In other business, the senate voted to appoint Mariana Estevan, former sergeant-at-arms, to the chief justice position, which was vacant after now Vice President for Brownsville Samantha Lara was appointed.

Job Martinez, senator for the Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship, motioned to a direct vote. With five “ayes” and zero “nays,” the decision was made to appoint Estevan.

“Thank you so much and thank you to the Student Government Association for enlisting your trust in me,” said Estevan after being congratulated by Senate Chair José Raul Ruiz.

She was later sworn in during the second roll call.

After Ruiz opened the floor to comments and announcements, Estevan announced that she and Associate Dean for Student Involvement and SGA Adviser Delma Olivarez have been working on a COVID-19 memorial scheduled from noon to 12:45 p.m. March 1 on the Edinburg, Brownsville and Harlingen campuses.

“It will be a day of remembrance for the UTRGV community,” Estevan said.

The next SGA meeting is scheduled at 6 p.m. Tuesday on the Edinburg campus.