During the March 4 Student Government Association meeting, a new senator was voted in and a judicial attendance requirement bill was again met with hostility. This time, the bill was tabled for later revisions.
During a discussion of the bill, four SGA members called it redundant.
Citing the SGA constitution, SGA senator Johann Pedolzky, political science and philosophy senior, said the judicial branch isn’t required to go to any meetings right now.
“We already have an attendance requirement and we already have an impeachment requirement,” he said. “We’ve just have never exercised it.”
Pedolzky also said he wasn’t opposed to amending the constitution but didn’t feel the bill was the necessary way to do it.
SGA chief justice Lee Allen, psychology, political science and sociology sophomore, said the issue was already a part of the constitution.
“Should the senate feel that a judicial isn’t doing their job, there are already outlines in the constitution bylaws for impeaching somebody,” Allen said.
SGA press secretary Candice Boudreaux, business junior, suggested the bill get revised again — which triggered a motion to have it tabled.
Under the current constitution, SGA chief justices are allowed three excused and one unexcused absence before facing impeachment.
According to the bill, “there are no restrictions on judicial attendance and because of that; Judicial has no requirement to attend SGA meetings.”
SGA tech officer Ruben Dodge, computer science freshman, authored the bill. Dodge said he plans to revise the bill and submit it again.
“I’ll probably bring it up in a week or two,” he said.
SGA treasurer Kevin Evans, elementary education freshman, co-authored the bill and called it redundant but also said something should be done to improve justices’ attendance.
“Having a bill like this would make them go to, at least, our meetings,” he said. “It would get them a lot more involved.”
Also, during the Thursday meeting, Blake Seigneurie, biology sophomore, was officially sworn in as an SGA senator.
Seigneurie said he plans to begin writing down goals and ideas to present to fellow members.
“About once or twice a month, I get pissed off about something on campus,” Seigneurie said.
SGA senate chair Jonathan Moody, psychology junior, was a mentor for Seigneurie during his probationary period and said he would be a great benefit to the SGA.
When asked why he joined the SGA, Seigneurie said he wanted to become more involved at IU Southeast.
“I want to be a student advocate — not only for other organizations on campus, but other students on campus,” he said.
Seigneurie said the SGA is unable to improve all of the problems he notices but still wants to be a part of the improvement process on campus.
He said issues such as parking lot overcrowding and difficulties at the IUS Bookstore.
“I think everybody has an issue with [parking],” Seigneurie said. “Especially when you come in, middle of the day, and there is nothing is available.”
Moody said he is hopeful about Seigneurie’s future in SGA.
“I think he’s pretty awesome,” Moody said. “Hopefully, he can get some of these ideas on paper, and we can actually see something come out of him this session.”
By MATTHEW CHINN
Staff Writer
mchinn@ius.edu
