The Student Government Association Senate met in regular session last night in The University Center senate chamber room, and one of the main issues addressed was parking fine appeals.
The senate passed a bill requiring the student court to provide pamphlets about the parking appeal process to students at the police services office. Currently, parking appeal forms are available in the office, but the form doesn't explain the entire process.
According to the bill's sponsor, Speaker Michael Lipe, this has lead to confusion about the necessary procedure, and it has caused the process to take longer for some students.
"We have gotten numerous calls in the SGA office regarding people not understanding how to file the form," Lipe said. "They also don't know where to look to know when to appear in court, and they know little about the real appeal hearing process, too."
Lipe said by providing a detailed information pamphlet with the form, students should find the experience easier to follow and hopefully less aggravating.
The senate failed to adopt a by-law amendment requiring that senators would only be allowed to serve in one branch of the SGA. Had the amendment passed, then next semester all members of the senate would be barred from holding any other positions in either the executive or judicial branches.
The group also adopted a measure to allocate funds for the upcoming Conference of Student Government Associations at Texas A&M University. The registration fee will be covered for eight SGA members to attend the conference in February.
A bill to pay for three members to attend the Southwestern Black Leadership Conference was put off until the next regular scheduled meeting. There was a conflict determining which members would be allowed to attend due to the other SGA conference. By SGA law, a member may only attend one sponsored trip a year, and the members in question must determine which event they will attend before the next meeting.
The last bill adopted was to allocate $500 to the Memphis Blue Crew to help pay for the group's trip to the Memphis Men's Basketball game at Ole Miss in December. The funds are to be used to help purchase tickets or pay for travel to the game.
The senate then adjourned and agreed to meet on Dec. 1 for the last scheduled meeting of the semester.
