The legislation titled the "Resolution Requesting an Administration Explanation Concerning the Budget Cut Process and Dartmouth's Staff" was presented by David Imamura '10, one of its authors.
The legislation faced heavy opposition from several members of Student Assembly, including 2012 Class Council President John Rutan '12 and Assembly Spokesman Will Hix '12.
In response to criticism, Imamura and Student Body President Frances Vernon '10 stressed that if the legislation is passed, the Assembly would not be taking an official stance on whether SEIU staff should be included on budget committees it would only be asking questions about the issue.
"[The Student Budget Advisory Committee] gives representation to students on budget issues," Imamura said. "Why isn't there a similar committee for the staff?"
Rutan stated that any public statement released by the College regarding this issue would inevitably draw hostility from the union, adding his opinion that the College already has a sufficient understanding of the consequences of layoffs, causing SEIU representation to be unnecessary.
Hix said College President Jim Yong Kim has already reached out to the SEIU but ultimately rejected its involvement in the budget cut process.
"The administration has already made a decision about this matter," Hix said.
Both Rutan and Hix also raised concerns that the legislation was "pointed" and "confrontational," stating that it could be perceived as hostile by the College administration.
"[The General Assembly] passing legislation could damage our relationship with the administration if it is perceived as combative and damage our relationship with the campus body if it is ignored by the administration," Hix said.
Even with SEIU representation, the College would still lack an accurate picture of the staff, Dean of Student Life Joe Cassidy said during the Assembly meeting.
"[The SEIU] only represents about 13 percent of the entire Dartmouth staff," Cassidy said.
After the SEIU's limited ability to represent the staff was discussed, the Assembly clarified the language of the document to ensure that it include all staff members, as was originally intended, according to the document's authors.
The SBAC and Palaeopitus, two student committees familiar with budget issues, have refused to take positions on the issue, according to Hix. He said he believed it would be inappropriate for the Assembly to pass legislation without sufficient knowledge of the issue or input from the student body.
"There is no vested student body interest, and this is an issue that other student groups or committees can address," Hix said. "This isn't about student interest but about labor interest."
The lack of widespread staff representation on budget committees has triggered a response from the campus community, including a recent protest held by SEIU members outside the Hopkins Center for the Arts Jan. 19 and a letter to Kim signed by 75 faculty members, which proposed cost-saving practices other than staff layoffs.
Other members of the Assembly continued to push for the legislation's passage, arguing that staff are an important part of the Dartmouth experience and that it is the Assembly's duty to ask questions of the administration.
Several members of the Assembly maintained that the issue was not as controversial as Hix and Rutan claimed, mainly because it would merely be "asking questions," not attacking the administration.
Vernon, along with three other members of the Assembly, will meet with SBAC and Paleopitus on Thursday to discuss budget issues and ideas that have been proposed by both groups. Student Assembly hopes to discuss the lack of staff representation during the meeting, according to Hix. The meeting will remain private, he said.
"We are not going to release the points that we are discussing just yet," Hix said.
