In what may represent one of the final steps in the Student Assembly reform controversy, an amendment to the Assembly's Constitution preventing "non-germane" amendments was passed at Tuesday night's meeting. This change will serve to close a current constitutional loophole used by Adam Shpeen '07 in an attempt to bring forth reform legislation this winter.
Tuesday night's constitutional change prevents Assembly members from presenting amendments which are not relevant to the issues addressed in the debated legislation. It will be the job of the parliamentarian of the Assembly to determine whether amendments are pertinent to debate.
"Non-germane amendments do two things," Assembly Parliamentarian Jaromy Siporen '08 said. "They bypass the Constitution, and secondly, they take away from the amendment at hand."
During this winter's debate, Shpeen twice proposed amendments to Assembly bills which were not directly related to the content of the legislation, Siporen said. At the Assembly's Jan. 24 meeting, Shpeen presented an amendment calling for a vote of no confidence against Student Body President Tim Andreadis '07 to legislation addressing "Uh-Oh" e-mails.
Shpeen's actions raised questions about the relevance of amendments to debated legislation, as some Assembly members thought the amendment was inappropriate.
"The point of an amendment is to better the legislation at hand, not as a loophole," Student Body Vice President Jacqueline Loeb '08 said at Tuesday's meeting.
During debate, Assembly member David Nachman '09 reminded the Assembly that Shpeen had been motivated to create such an amendment because legislation about a vote of no confidence was not brought forth by the Assembly's executive board, despite having passed through a committee. Under the Assembly's Constitution, once a piece of legislation passes through committee, the executive board is obligated to bring the legislation to the General Assembly within three meetings.
The Dartmouth was unable to reach Shpeen for comment on Tuesday.
Also during the meeting, the Assembly approved a statement to expand the hours of Kresge Fitness Center. The statement, which has already been approved by Dartmouth College Recreation Advisory Board, asks that the gym remain open an extra hour until midnight each night and open at 8 or 9 a.m. on weekend mornings -- a change from the current 10 a.m. opening.
Josh Jacobson '09, chair of the Assembly's Student Organizations Committee, said that the statement will now be circulated to the Athletics Department and the Board of Trustees. Administrators of DCRAB also plan to meet with Athletic Director Josie Harper to discuss this issue.
"The wheels are already in motion," Jacobson said of the gym hours proposal. "Right now it's really in the hands of the administration."
A plan to hold a spring term Student Activities Fair was also passed on Tuesday. The fair will cater to students who did not join organizations during Fall or Winter terms.
