Georgetown University Student Association President Brian Morgenstern (CAS ‘05) issued his first veto this week, striking down an amendment to GUSA’s constitution sponsored by the Lecture Fund.
The amendment, approved by the GUSA Assembly on Nov. 11, called for a change in the way the Lecture Fund chair is selected. The Lecture Fund is a student group that brings a wide array of speakers to campus.
Currently, the chair is appointed by the president of GUSA. Lecture Fund members worry that under this system, the position could be assigned as a political favor, rather than to a committed member of group.
Morgenstern said he did not oppose the idea of Lecture Fund members electing their own chair. “The idea behind it was really good, but the way that the particular amendment was written wasn’t right,” Morgenstern said at Tuesday night’s GUSA meeting.
After reviewing GUSA’s constitution, Morgenstern concluded that the amendment in conflicted with the student association’s bylaws.
“This violates Article II, Section 3 of the GUSA Constitution, which grants full power of appointment to the President, and Article VI of the GUSA Bylaws, which includes the Lecture Fund under Executive Appointments,” wrote Morgenstern in a memo to GUSA representatives.
Presidential vetoes are rare in GUSA politics. “The two previous presidents each issued one veto, and before that there was a span of five years without a single one,” said Morgenstern.
Morgenstern suggested that the Lecture Fund reword the amendment to be consistent with the GUSA constitution. Rather than being required to appoint the chair “in conjunction with the Lecture Fund,” the President should make the selection “in consultation with the Lecture Fund,” Morgenstern said.
He also noted a clause in the GUSA bylaws that requires interaction between members of GUSA and the lecture fund, ostensibly decreasing the chances of an arbitrary appointment.
Lecture Fund members hope to see this process changed in the near future, despite Morgenstern’s veto. “We devote a lot of time and energy to the Lecture Fund,” said Stephen Glaser (SFS ‘04), a member of the Lecture Fund. “We want to make sure that the chair isn’t just a political appointee of the GUSA president, who hasn’t served on the lecture fund before, or who doesn’t really know what we’re about.”
Glaser emphasized that the amendment was not a response to this year’s interaction between GUSA and the Lecture Fund. “This year we’ve had the best relationship with GUSA that we’ve had in years,” he said. “I’ve never seen a GUSA president go beyond the call of duty like Brian has. He’s even come to some of the Lecture Fund meetings.”
Still, Glaser worries that not all GUSA presidents will be as responsible as Morgenstern. He said he hoped that the amendment would serve as an end to the spoils system in Georgetown politics.
“We’re not going to drop the issue,” said Glaser. “Either we’ll redraft the amendment in new language, or we’ll resubmit the original to GUSA for an override vote.”
The GUSA Assembly can override the presidential veto with a two-thirds majority.
The Lecture Fund will reconvene next Monday to discuss its next step.
