The Georgetown University Student Association’s Senate voted last night to amend its bylaws so that non-senator Brian Kesten (COL `10) could continue to chair the Student Commission on Unity, but the amendment may not get past GUSA President Pat Dowd (SFS `09).
“I one hundred percent intend to veto this,” he said.
Kesten, who was a Senator last year but was not re-elected this fall, could not have continued to chair the commission under the original bylaws.
The threat of a veto represents an about-face for Dowd, who said last week that Unity was a successful commission and that Kesten deserves to continue his work with it.
Kesten said that he was disappointed by Dowd’s position.
“I don’t know how to feel about Pat vetoing [the bill],” he said. “I’m happy to comply with any and all regulations that a representative body would place on us.”
What is Dowd planning to veto? You can’t veto a by-law change allowing non-senators to chair commissions! Is he going to veto every student commission until the Student Senate changes its own by-laws?
Actually, MEBMT, the President can veto a bill changing the by-laws. See Art. I, Sec. 9 of the GUSA Constitution — President has to sign or veto every Act the Senate passes.
What the President can’t veto are resolutions, because they are merely expressions of the Senate, and thus require no assent by the President.