AS Executive Board update graphic PJ Heusted // AS Review
By PJ Heusted
The Associated Students Executive Board met on Friday, Jan. 22 for their thirteenth meeting of the 2020-21 academic year.
AS Constitutional Amendment
Senate Pro-tempore Sargun Handa presented proposed language for a ballot item that would amend the AS Constitution and officially move elections for the AS Student Senate to the spring.
This proposal comes as a follow up to the referendum during fall elections where students voted 88% in favor of moving senate elections from fall to spring.
Handa previously presented this proposal to the senate where it passed unanimously with the recommendation of including a financial impact statement in the rationale portion of the proposal. She additionally shared a statement from AS Elections Coordinator Mario Alem in support of the amendment.
The board passed the proposal for the amendment with five votes in favor, zero against and zero abstaining.
Summer Quarter Fees
Executive Director of Student Engagement Eric Alexander shared that there will be a potential need to provide input to the AS Office of Civic Engagement in regards to a recommendation for how to manage student fees during summer quarter.
Alexander said that the OCE hopes to get input from both the board and senate through the addition of a discussion item or invitation to OCE employees to speak during future meetings.
Alexander also reminded the board of the need for future discussions regarding fees during spring quarter as well.
Differentiating the Board and Senate
AS President Abdul Malik Ford proposed starting conversations with the goal of creating a clearer outline for what the bodies of student government within the AS are and how they differ.
VP for Student Services Carson Brock supported creating clearer and more concise clarifications of the differences. He shared that with the current model the two branches of government often end up doing the same type of work and many are unclear about how the board and senate differ.