There are great opportunities coming up to find out more about the candidates and place your vote wisely. Tuesday at the Rat is the vice presidential debate at 7 p.m., and Wednesday is the presidential debate, also 7 p.m. at the Rat.
To all presidential candidates: please add to your platform the intent to modernize and keep up the Student Government [SG] website. Some of the information is over a year old, if it is there at all – check out the members of Senate who have already graduated.
On Thursday, comes the opportunity to “Meet the Candidates” on the UC Patio between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., where students can grill the Senate candidates.
The new SG constitution was discussed last Wednesday in its draft form, although no prior indication had been given to students that the constitution was being amended.
The primary given reason for this was that the majority of changes were grammatical, and the remaining changes were alterations taken from statutes.
The first SG constitution was written four years ago, and since then many amendments have been passed.
The new constitution tries to address the problem of resume-builders in Senate seats. Those who run solely for their own benefit – often on a popularity vote – and take little or no interest in meetings can be kicked out with an attendance policy. Changes to the constitution, if passed, will ensure that any Senator removed from office will not be allowed to run for or be reappointed to any seat on Senate within one year of removal.
Once the constitution has been clarified and passed by Senate on Wednesday, major changes can be debated in the future. Apparently students will be notified in advance of any major changes.
Five new elections commissioners were also ratified at last week’s meeting, each one stating the importance of getting students to vote – dj vu? Proof of this will be in voter numbers.
Also, the Richter Library is looking to form a new six-member student committee to gain feedback on the services provided and their effectiveness. This is open to all students.
The library committee will provide students with a chance to talk about issues facing library users and valuable experience as part of an active University focus group. They will meet with William D. Walker, University librarian, to discuss resources and services.
Students who frequent the library are encouraged to apply, and it is preferable that they are underclassmen who can continue with the group for at least two semesters.
The application process will consist solely of an interview, but students are welcome to submit their resumes.
All students are welcome to attend the SG Senate meeting on Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. in the UC Ballroom.
For more information about the new library committee, contact Billy Bludgus, SG chief of staff external, at 305-284-3083, or e-mail b.bludgus@umiami.edu.
For more information about elections, visit the SG website at http://www.miami.edu/studorgs/sg/.
Amy S. Lawrence can be contacted at aslawrence@umiami.edu.