The Student Assembly last night canceled a special meeting called specifically to vote on the proposed meal plan changes because not enough members showed up.
Student Assembly President Danielle Moore '95 adjourned the meeting after waiting 15 minutes for members to arrive, but the total only reached 22, depriving the Assembly of a quorum.
A quorum of 24 members -- representing half the Assembly -- is required to pass a resolution.
"If this behavior continues, the role of the Student Assembly is going to get smaller and smaller until finally we are left with people who will come and who will make quorum and will be responsible," Assembly Communications Co-Chair Brandon del Pozo '96 said after last night's meeting.
He added that the meeting was the last opportunity for the Assembly to voice its opinion about the proposed meal plan changes. The administration will make its decision regarding the meal plan before the Assembly reconvenes Winter term.
Last night's meeting marked the third time the Assembly has unsuccessfully tried to take a stand on the proposed meal plan changes. Two of the failures resulted from a lack of a quorum.
Earlier this term the Assembly passed a bylaw mandating attendance at meetings and stating that any member who missed three meetings in one term without being excused would be removed from the Assembly.
Moore said last night would not technically count as a meeting because there was no quorum.
Tim Young '96, a member of the Assembly executive committee, said, "In not deciding to have a student referendum members decided to make themselves responsible for the issue, but then they were not committed enough to show up and make the decision."
At last Tuesday's General Assembly meeting, Young started a petition calling for another meeting to let members vote on the meal plan resolution.
"It's really unfortunate that people on both sides of the issue kept delaying the vote [until] it could be delayed no longer, and then we could do nothing," Young said.
Assembly Secretary John Honovich '97 sent a BlitzMail message to 600 people, mostly first-year students, after the Assembly gathered last night surveying their opinions on the meal plan recommendations.
"I didn't expect this to happen. I thought we would vote on it tonight," Honovich said, explaining the reasoning behind the BlitzMail message. "We need to get some student input in."
As of 11:45 last night, Honovich said about 150 people had answered the message, which asked for a yes or no response to the Meal Plan task force's recommendations. He said he sent the same people the task force's report last week.
In the message, Honovich states that he "will present the results to Lynn Hutton, the Vice-President and Pete Napolitano, the Director of Dining Services." Honovich said last night that although he has not scheduled a time to speak with them, he plans to go to Hutton's office early Monday morning.
