During the Student Government Association meeting on Feb. 25, SGA members greeted a new judicial minimum requirement bill with immediate resistance.

SGA tech officer Ruben Dodge, computer science freshman, authored the judicial minimum requirement bill. The bill would require justices to miss no more than four SGA meetings.

“In the past, we were having an issue with justice members not showing up to swear in new members,” Dodge said. “Last semester, our chief justice had classes that conflicted with meetings.”

SGA members who opposed the bill included SGA chief justice Lee Allen, psychology, political science and sociology sophomore, and SGA senator Johann Pedolzky, political science and philosophy senior.

“I think the wording is a little ambiguous,” Allen said.

Allen later urged Dodge to wait until an in-progress revision of the SGA constitution was completed before suggesting legislation.

Pedolzky also criticized the bill, pointing out no justices have been sanctioned because of their absences.

“I think [the bill] is redundant,” Pedolzky said. “The problem, I feel, is not something that’s going to be remedied here in the legislative branch. I don’t feel that any of the justices should report any of their absences to the senate chair. That’s a convulsion of the two branches of government.”

Pedolksy said he believes associate justices should report their absences to the SGA chief justice.

The SGA also approved a bill to refund the Gay Straight Alliance organization for fliers promoting their drag show on Saturday, March 6.

Unlike the judicial requirement bill, the SGA quickly and unanimously approved a bill to reimburse the GSA.

The GSA is presenting a drag show on March 6 from 7:30 to 10 p.m. in the Ogle Center.

SGA treasurer Kevin Evans, elementary education freshman, who was nominated senator of the year, authored the bill and urged fellow members to approve a motion to move it to emergency status so the organization could be immediately reimbursed.

SGA secretary Beverly Raley, international studies and French junior, said she would be dressing up for the Saturday event.

“I’m going to be in it,” she said. “I’m going to be a guy. I’m going to butch it up some. I’ve been practicing on my ‘dude walk.’”

Raley joined the GSA last week and said she believes people should be more understanding of gays and lesbians and their struggle for equal rights.

Also, during the SGA meeting, Pedolzky addressed students concerns with the IUS Bookstore.

Pedolzky said although Barnes and Noble does mark up students’ books by 25 percent, half of that money is given back to the university.

“I feel it would be better for everyone involved if the student population and the faculty population understood Barnes and Noble’s position,” Pedolzky said.

Pedolzky said the IUS Bookstore invited all IUS faculty to an event during the winter break so they could make sure the books for their classes were ordered correctly. Only 14 faculty members attended the event.

He also said Barnes and Noble buys back more than $194,000 in used books from students last year.

The store recently encountered two secret shopper evaluations and scored more than a 95 rating on each.

“Barnes and Noble just order what the professors order,” Pedolzky said.