After summer research of student governments from colleges and universities from around the country, the Student Association addressed constitutional reforms at its first meeting Monday night in hopes to emulate those schools.
Schools looked at by SA President Travis Mason and other SA members included Florida State University, North Carolina State University, Cornell University and the University of Chicago.
Assembly members were responsive to reforms based on other schools, but the lack of creativity was a concern.
"I do not think that it is bad to copy other schools; it does expand our choices, but I do think we could come up with our own things and think outside the box a little more," said Patrick Tomeny, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry representative to SA.
The main proposal for reform was the decision to join the offices of vice president of academic affairs and vice president of student affairs, and their committees to one position. The combining of these two positions under SA into one was a decision based on the current direction of the university, Mason said, where academic and student services are coming together.
"The combining of the committees makes a lot of sense on paper," Vice President Eric Crites said. "The committee of university affairs will be the body, but subcommittees will be formed for the specific needs, as before."
Another major point of discussion includes the introduction of a presidential veto within SA. Prior to this implementation, there was no veto, Mason said. The research on other schools and universities helped SA to understand its need for checks and balances within the association. A veto from the president could be overruled by a three-fourths vote from the assembly.
The reforms were established over the summer by members because the SA is not in a place where it should be, Mason said.
"We hope to establish a real student government association," Mason said. "We would like to have a system that exists in both theory and in practice."
Mason also discussed the addition of a new position, vice president of technology. The position opens growth in the technology area as well as allows the opportunity for expansion in the future, Mason said. Some technological additions already in the works include online budgeting, a blackboard on the SA Web site and blogs.
Other reforms include the limiting of two undergraduate assembly representatives per college within the university and two for SUNY-ESF, as well as 10 members at large and the improvement of the transition between changes in the makeup of SA to keep consistency.
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