In a 23-4 vote, Murray State Student Government Association senators put off a motion Wednesday to change the SGA treasurer eligibility bylaw, with just two weeks left before the application deadline.
The motion, proposed by SGA senator Michael Mann, is to change Article 3, Section J of the SGA bylaws.
The bylaw states that any applicants for the treasurer position must have completed ACC 200 (Principals of Accounting I) or AGR 333 (Agribusiness Records and Analysis) with a grade of C or better by the end of the academic term in which he or she is elected.
Mann’s proposal was to eliminate the course requirements, particularly for those who have not enrolled in one of the two classes or have a transfer credit equivalent to be eligible to apply for treasurer.
“I believe it will open up opportunities for students to a position they might want to run for,” Mann said in his proposal.
The debate following the proposal included some support for Mann, with senators stating that the treasurer will not be the sole individual with oversight of financial matters, but will have help from other executive members and the SGA adviser, Jeanie Morgan.
However, most elected senators disagreed with the proposal, citing instances that the treasurer is required to handle a significant amount of money for the association and the fact that the proposed change falls too close to the application deadline of Feb. 20.
Approximately $170,000 is handled annually by the treasurer.
The position also entails several other financial responsibilities for the association, including:
Collection, accounting and distribution of funds
Endorsing all expenditures
Chair the Student Senate Finance Committee
Prepare and present the SGA budget.
Clint Combs, senator for SGA, said he urged other senators to refrain from voting for the change to the bylaw, stating that it falls too close to the application deadline, which has been advertised for weeks with the existing requirements.
“This gives an unfair advantage to potential candidates who have just heard about the change after today’s meeting,” Combs said. “(It is unfair) to people who might have wanted to apply earlier, but didn’t meet the requirements despite wanting to apply.”
Combs said he did not support the proposed change at the time, but said he believes it could be discussed at a later time, which was debated and agreed upon in various motions.
SGA elected senators voted in majority to put off the motion until the Feb. 25 meeting, which falls five days after the application deadline.
The motion and any affiliated debates regarding the bylaw change will be discussed during that meeting.
Story by Mary Bradley, Editor-in-Chief