Senators and Tribunal members verbally sparred at last night’s Student Union Senate meeting and Senate vice chair Mike McLaughlin went as far as to suggest the Senate remove members of the Tribunal, after Tribunal members nullified a presidential committee formed to review the Union constitution early in the semester.
Arguments started after vice president of Student Affairs and now-former committee chairman Carl Woog and Union president Ethan Clay had addressed concerns from the Senate over the body’s lack of representation on the presidential committee.
While Clay and Woog addressed questions from the Senate, members of the Tribunal attempted to speak with Senate chairman Joel Fajardo. After their attempts failed, Senior Tribune John Underwood took the floor and announced that the current committee was unconstitutional and not recognized as a functioning body by Senate.
At one point during the conflict, Fajardo was even called ‘son’ by Tribunal member James Hoogenhaus, when Hoogenhaus explained to Fajardo that the Tribunal demanded to be heard.
Hoogenhaus later defended himself by clarifying his use of the term stemmed from anger.
‘The word ‘son’ is just something I say sometimes, especially when I’m upset,’ he said. ‘This is not Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’
During the debate, McLaughlin briefly stepped down from the vice chair position to imply that senators should remove a Tribunal member.
‘Maybe this would be something the Senate would like to look at,’ he said, citing Article 3, Section 3 of the Union’s constitution, which affords the Senate such power.
Underwood explained that his actions resulted from the direction of Fajardo himself.
‘[Fajardo] told me, the only way you will have the floor is if you come down and take it,’ he said. ‘We did what we felt was necessary.’
The Tribunal announced the composition of the new committee in order to ensure equal representation by each branch of the Union, they said. The new committee will be composed of the Student Union president, vice president of Financial Affairs, a representative from each of the Union’s special bodies, at least one Tribunal Member and a separate senate committee composed of five members.
While Clay will remain on the new committee, former chairman Woog as well as many other members will be replaced.
‘Most of the members have been booted off,’ Clay said.
Woog expressed his disapproval of the Tribunal’s actions.
‘With the exception of Ethan, no members of my committee were consulted before this decision which was performed in secrecy and was made in public,’ he said. ‘I certainly believe whenever you are organizing facts you should interview people who have been involved in the process from the start. That was their failure.’
McLaughlin will also no longer be a part of the committee and voiced both his opposition for the decision made by the Tribunal as well as his reassurance in Clay’s position.
The Tribunal’s decision nullifies all previous actions taken by the former committee, Clay said he would contest the decision with university officials. According to Clay, the Tribunal’s decision itself is questionable.
‘I will be making an appeal to the Student Activities Office,’ he said. ‘I feel that my input into this composition would have simplified this process. This ordeal could have been avoided.’
He said previous Union leaders were given broader leeway in forming executive committees.
‘I want to make sure that this Student Union gets its own precedence, just as the presidents before me had their opportunity for setting precedence in the Tribunal,’ he said. ‘As current president I would like to have a say in the composition of this committee.’
Before the debate, senators had voiced opposition to the executive board’s original secrecy in forming the committee itself and asked for a separate Senate or student body committee to take part in the review of the constitution.
But Clay said the process was never intended to expressly exclude members of the Senate.
‘I feel it is unfortunate that it is viewed as secretive,’ Clay said.
Clay expressed the importance of the end result stemming from a final decision to be made by the Senate, reminding them that the Senate ‘does have the final say.’
Woog agreed with Clay and explained to the Senate the importance of their role.
‘Your voice is strong and it will be heard,’ he said. ‘We truly believe the Senate is the most important and effective body in the university.’
According to Clay, the changes made in the committee’s composition will not affect the ideas behind the review itself.
‘This will not affect our process at this moment; our goals have not been changed,’ he said. ‘The Student Union and student body deserve a more efficient and effective constitution, and we will do whatever it takes to deliver that promise to the student body.’
BIG, ALLOCATIONS
Despite bitter arguing over the committee to make changes to the constitution, business continued as usual during last night’s Senate meeting including the announcement of Boston Integrated Government.
Vice President of Academic Affairs David Bresler announced the Boston Intercollegiate Government, or BIG, will take place on April 2 in the School of Management. The meeting will include officials from college governments at Boston College, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northeastern University.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino will also attend the event to give speeches and insight to the respective governments. Bresler said the senators from each of the college governments would be invited to the event.
– Staff writer Patrick Gillooly contributed to this report.