By Amy Diaz
In an attempt to address issues with transparency and outreach, two Student Government members drafted a bill to create a new position in the senate.
There is no funding in the SG budget for the proposed position. Whoever fills it will be a volunteer, or potentially paid through federal work study.
The Secretary of the Senate bill, drafted by senator Naya Payne and appropriations chair Gregory Cote, passed through the SG Policy Committee with a 3-2 vote on April 2.
According to the bill, the secretary of the senate would “assist in clerical duties of the senate.” The specific duties outlined in the bill include: typing, recording and uploading minutes of general assembly and senate meetings, maintaining public records and making them easily accessible through outreach and social media.
“We have terrible engagement with the student body, terrible turnout among the student body and terrible awareness of the student body,” Payne said. “This position is tackling those issues.”
The goal for this position is that it will increase transparency and raise awareness about senate meetings, policies and what SG is doing.
“Everybody knows that we have transparency issues, especially with everything that has happened recently with The Crow’s Nest and other situations,” Payne said. “This is not a complete remedy for those issues that we have…but this is a good starting point and a good way to show that we do care and we do hear out their concerns.”
Senate President Tiffany Porcelli and SG Vice President-elect Hannah Rose Wanless opposed the bill.
In a meeting April 2, Porcelli emphasized that she did not think the position would be “as effective as it is intended.”
Porcelli stated that the existing paid elected officials should be doing their part to communicate with the student body.
“And if we are not doing that, then we should be held accountable, not make another position to do that,” Porcelli said.
Cote, on the other hand, views the position as additional support to what senators should already be doing.
“It needs to be a position that is brand new, because the more support the better,” Cote said. “If we can have a volunteer who’s doing this position, then that alleviates the pressure on every other person and makes us a more effective team.”
The bill will move into the final vote at the senate general assembly at 5 p.m. April 8 in the University Student Center ballroom.
