The GUSA Senate met to to elect Senate transition chairs and determine representatives for the next day’s Constitutional Council Hearing on April 16.
The positions included the transition chairs on two committees, Ethics and Oversight and Finance and Appropriations, as well as transition Chair and Vice-chair of the Senate. These positions will oversee the Senate’s work during the rest of the semester and the summer, until the session chairs are elected next fall.
Sen. Juan Martinez (SFS ’20), former GUSA President, will serve as the transition Chair of the Senate. Martinez was elected unanimously. Afterward, he said he hoped to work to reform the institution of GUSA, improve elections and turnout, and increase the efficiency and the efficacy of GUSA
Martinez will be tasked with running and preparing Senate meeting for the rest of the semester, as well as beginning to put structures in place during the summer.
Martinez will also work with Sen. Samantha Moreland (COL ’21) , who was elected as the transition Vice-chair.
Moreland said she hopes to improve the disconnect between GUSA and the student body, as well as aid new Senators in their first term and host events to bring new students into GUSA.
She defeated Sen. Zev Burton (SFS ’22), a new Senator, who said he hoped to work on GUSA’s communications and efficiency. He also stressed the symbolic nature of electing a new Senator to be Vice-chair as an acknowledgement of GUSA’s potential disconnect which has been perceived by many students.
New Sen. Leo Teixeira (COL ’21) was elected as transition Chair of the Ethics and Oversight committee. In his speech, he expressed that he thought the committee could benefit from more extensive planning in structure and operation, and he would like to implement reforms that would allow the committee to better execute its responsibilities. Specifically, he said he hopes to address the rising number of Senate absences.
He defeated Sen. Sam Dubke (SFS ’21), who was the vice chair of the committee last session. Dubke had worked on the legislation that initially created the Ethics and Oversight committee, which had its inaugural session this past year.
The Ethics and Oversight committee will work to ensure transparency and accountability over the summer as work begins. The transition committee was established earlier this semester in legislation written by Dubke.
Sen. Matt Buckwald (COL ’20) was elected as the transition Chair of the Finance and Appropriations committee. He, along with Sen. Harrison Nugent (SFS ’20), the other nominee, served on the committee last year. Buckwald expressed a desire to look into mandatory space use and GUPD costs that student organizations pay, as well as explore structural issues as the transition Chair.
Buckwald, as the transition FinApp chair, will act as GUSA treasurer this summer, handing the money that was allocated to GUSA by FinApp for this fiscal year, while also handling any relevant university business.
The Senate also passed a Resolution to Clearly Define GUSA representatives in the Constitutional Council hearing concerning the 272 referendum, which will be held April 17th at 6pm in ICC 105.
The resolution appoints Dylan Hughes (COL ’19), former Chair of Ethics and Oversight, the Chair of the Election Commission, and the Speaker and the President as representatives of GUSA. It also allows each of those to bring additional designees to the hearing.
The hearing will consider alleged violations by the Ethics and Oversight committee, the Election Commission, and GUSA as an institution regarding the conduction of the voting on the referendum last week.
The Senate will meet next April 28 at 5 pm in Healy 106.
