 "Photo: CFF Archive")
At the most recent Student Government Association Senate meeting, senate voted 11-25 to not pass a Constitutional Amendment 44-01, which would remove Article VI (The Graduate Student Assembly).
The amendment, which was on its second reading at the Feb. 2 meeting, was introduced by Sen. Grey Dodge, vice chair of the governmental affairs committee.
Dodge said he began thinking about writing the amendment at the beginning of this year after seeing that the process of fleshing out the GSA wasn't going smoothly.
Last September, the constitution of the Student Body of UCF with Constitutional Amendment 43-04 (Constitutional Revision Regarding the Graduate Student Assembly), which added Article VI: The Graduate Student Assembly to the Constitution.
According to CA 43-04, which was supported by all of the colleges as well as the Graduate Student Association, Biology Graduate Student Association, Biomedical Graduate Student Association and Faculty Senate, "Graduate students shall receive funds from the Activity and Service Fees."
"They cannot be guaranteed funding through the ASF process like it is right now," said Sen. Matthew Gruda, vice chair of the Operations Review Committee. "I can't support something that's guaranteed funding when the Rec and Wellness Center isn't guaranteed funding, when the Student Union isn't guaranteed funding."
Gruda said he does believe the assembly should exist at some point, but that the rules regarding funding need to be changed first.
Although graduate students pay $166.18 more per credit hour than undergraduate students, they pay the same amount, $10.79, for the ASF Fee.
"They could fund us a penny if they want," said Bonnie Berry, president of the Graduate Student Association. "All it says is that we will receive funds, it doesn't say how much. There's no reason why it's a bad thing that we're guaranteed some money to function."
Though Dodge's amendment did not pass, it served as another bump in the road for the graduate students who have been the force behind the assembly.
"Of course it was upsetting considering how much time and effort we've put in to get this to go through," Berry said. "I get really tired of hearing it was rushed when it wasn't."
Berry said, in her opinion, that CA 44-01 was rushed.
During the senate meeting, Sen. Nick Simons, chair of the Legislative, Judicial and Rules Committee, said CA 43-04 should be amended rather than eliminated.
Dodge said he felt as if Article VI was rushed when it was written and when it was passed. He also said he could still exist even if it's not in the constitution.
In the same senate meeting, the senate was supposed to review Special Act 44-01 (Creation of Title XIV – The Graduate Student Assembly), which was introduced by Sen. Kevin Gay, chair of the Financial Allocations for Organizations Committee.
Since senate ran out of time to do a second reading of the act, so Speaker Wes Jones asked the senators to review the act throughout the week so they would be prepared to see it at the next meeting on Feb. 9.
"It's going to be rough starting out ... but hopefully it'll clear up and start running pretty smoothly," Dodge said.