Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) passed six new constitutional amendments Tuesday. Two-thirds of all voting students must vote to approve the amendments before the constitution may be reformed.
In order for a constitutional amendment to be passed in BSG, 21 of the 26 members must vote in favor of the amendment. Even if 26 members are not present, 21 votes are necessary. Twenty-five representatives were present on Tuesday night.
The two major issues, as presented by BSG Affairs Committee, were representation and role clarification.
Although BSG passed the Leadership Council Amendment with 23 votes in favor, which created a council to represent the social houses and classes, the body voted against decreasing the number of social house representatives. The BSG Representatives Amendment would have replaced the six social house representatives with two representatives elected by the Inter-House Council (IHC). The IHC chairman would retain his seat. Fifteen members voted for this amendment, eight abstained from voting, and two voted against it.
Under the current constitution, the social house system represents seven votes within BSG.
The Social House Improvement Amendment, which would have allowed social houses to nominate representatives to the Student Affairs Committee, was tabled with the failure of the BSG Representatives Amendment. Many members felt that this amendment would call for overrepresentation of the social houses within BSG.
An amendment that would have removed the Academic Affairs Committee and placed the duties of the committees on the vice president of academic affairs was voted down, with only four members in favor, two abstaining, and 18 opposed. As a result, the Officer Restructuring Amendment, which would have renamed the vice president of academic affairs as the BSG vice president, was tabled.
Two amendments that attempted to set rules for the debates within BSG were voted down. The Speaking Rights Amendment, which stated that the president may speak first on any issue while the sponsor of the proposal may speak last if they so choose, received 20 votes in favor and one against; four members abstained.
The Moderators Amendment nominated the treasurer as the moderator for all debates, with the stipulation that he not speak during debates. If he wishes to speak, he must step down as moderator for the debate. This amendment was tabled, and a new proposal, which allowed for the officer team to rotate as moderators, was voted down. A proposal seeking support for the idea of an independent moderator without speaking rights was also voted down.
An amendment that moved all elections, with the exception of the first year elections, to the second Wednesday in April was passed. For the Class of 2007, this amendment will take effect in the 2006-2007 school year. This is a movement that takes into account the students who journeyed abroad before this decision was made.
A section of the constitution entitled "Student Matters" was approved for removal with a vote of 22 in favor, two abstaining, and two against. This section detailed a lengthy process, which has yet to be used, in which students could present proposals in front of BSG.
Three amendments were passed unanimously. One amendment clarified the role of the president while another clarified the roles of the vice presidents. The final amendment, the Clubs and Funding Amendment, laid out the roles of the Student Organization Oversight Committee and the Student Activities Funding Committee.
Before any changes are made to the constitution, BSG must vote on a clarified form of the constitution and on a reform of quorums and vote numbers, both of which must be passed with 21 members in favor. The amendments must then be presented to the student body for a vote.