Two new plans introduced at convention

Two new plans for restructuring student government were introduced at the fifth constitutional convention last night -- one of which is significantly different from other proposals debated at earlier meetings. The more radical of the two proposals, sponsored by convention delegates Tex Roper and You-Lee Kim, calls for an assembly composed of popularly elected representatives from approximately 50 residential districts. All the other plans support elections by class. In addition, one member of each undergraduate class would be popularly elected to the existing University Council each semester for one-year terms. These representatives would also serve on the assembly. The plan calls for the Student Activities Council to remain autonomous, but proposes placing the SAC Finance Committee -- which allocates funds to student groups -- under the control of the assembly. Other proposals do not divide SAC Finance from SAC. Another aspect of the plan proposes organizing the assembly into standing committees. And according to Roper, most of the assembly's legislative functions would be performed by these committees. All resolutions would be considered by the committees before being introduced to the entire assembly. The proposal also calls for the assembly to take on the role of the Nominations and Elections Committee, which appoints undergraduates to University and Trustee committees. Other proposals have also called for eliminating the NEC. Convention delegate Ethan Youderian introduced another proposal at the meeting which he said would significantly cut down the bureaucracy and lack of communication that plagues the current student government. The plan calls for a general assembly -- to take the place of the UA -- to be composed of 36 popularly elected representatives, 10 popularly-elected representatives from within SAC and one representative from each undergraduate school. The proposal would divide the NEC, placing nominations under the control of the assembly and making the elections committee autonomous. Both the Social Planning and Events Committee and the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education would be autonomous but would have to report to the assembly. A revised proposal, sponsored by convention delegates Jon Wachs and Dave Anderman, was also discussed at the meeting. Their proposal calls for a student congress to be divided into a senate and assembly. The plan calls for the assembly to be composed of 24 popularly elected members instead of 40 -- which was proposed earlier. Additionally, the revised plan calls for SAC to be divided into 10 groups based on similar functions. Two representatives from each group would be elected into the student senate. UA Chairperson Duchess Harris said after the meeting that she wants to use Youderian's proposal as a "base plan," adding that she supports incorporating elements of the other plans into Youderian's structure. She added that she strongly favors placing SAC Finance under the control of the assembly -- which was part of the Roper/Kim plan.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.