After weeks of debate and controversy, student government reform legislation finally passed without opposition during Tuesday night's Student Assembly meeting. The newly created Student Government Task Force will not attempt to impeach student body President Tim Andreadis '07, as other failed reform efforts have proposed to do earlier this term.
The task force created by Tuesday's legislation will consist of eight members -- including one non-voting chair -- drawn from the student body and approved by the Assembly's Membership and Internal Affairs Committee.
The task force will be charged with examining student governance at Dartmouth.
"We really want them to look at all aspects of our student government structure," Student Body Vice President Jacqueline Loeb '08 said while presenting the legislation. "That can include [Student Assembly], but it's really not meant to focus on it explicitly."
The new task force differs slightly from that outlined by the MIAC legislation tabled during last week's meeting. In addition to reducing the task force size down from 13 members and eliminating requirements for members to be pulled from specific campus groups, Tuesday's plan created more specific requirements for task force action, asking that the group aim to create specific recommendations to improve student government.
Despite these changes, the approved legislation differs from the moves proposed by the group of students who have been pushing for Assembly reform this fall.
Reform movement leaders Adam Shpeen '07 and Michael Herman '07, who were absent at the meeting, both expressed some satisfaction with the legislation passed by the Assembly on Tuesday, but said the legislation is not exactly what they envisioned.
"I think it's a step forward," Shpeen said. "I don't think it's perfect, but I'm glad that the Assembly is making an effort to alter its structure and the way it governs."
Herman pointed to similarities between the amendment proposed by the group at last week's Assembly meeting and the revised legislation that was approved on Tuesday.
"We're pleased that they incorporated many of the elements of the proposal that we put forward," Herman said.
Still, Herman expressed doubt about the potential of the task force to enact real change.
"Given the track record of Student Assembly, I am not that optimistic that this committee will be able to enact the reforms [necessary]," Herman said.
"Many of us didn't go [to the meeting]," Herman said. "The past weeks we have put our ideas out and people have had our proposal. We didn't think that there was any more we could do."
Herman said that the reform group's focus will now be on this spring's Assembly elections.
"The primary goal of the reform people is to find a candidate for student body president for next year," he said.
Loeb, one of the proposal's sponsors, said that she was pleased with the revised legislation passed Tuesday night. Though she acknowledged the importance of the reform legislation to Student Assembly, Loeb noted that the resolution of the reform issue will allow the Assembly to begin addressing other issues that have been pushed aside in recent weeks.
"It feels somewhat refreshing to be able to go on and deal with issues we feel are important," Loeb said.
Most of Tuesday night's meeting was spent on a proposal to fund the mascot costume. The legislation, which was eventually approved, provides $900 toward the $2,000 down payment on a Dartmoose costume in order to publicize the potential mascot and determine student response.
The other $1,100 is already accounted for as a result of unsolicited alumni donations. The Assembly hopes to eventually pay back the $900 provided by the Assembly after collecting further contributions.
Kenny Brown Klinger '07, one of the legislation's sponsors, explained that the mascot will provide students with a tangible image of the possible mascot.
"We're not trying to ram this down people's throats," Brown Klinger said. "We've gotten enough positive feedback from all accounts to proceed and see what people think about the actual mascot."
