SGA is holding a special election for the student body to vote on an amendment to the Constitution of the Seaver College of Pepperdine University Student Government Association.
Students will vote on the amendment through a ballot sent via email on Wednesday, Jan. 30. Voting will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
SGA members voted on the amendment during their weekly meeting Wednesday, and it passed with a two-thirds majority vote. In order for the amendment to be added to the constitution, the student body must also pass it with a two-thirds majority vote.
The proposed amendment is to change the date of regular elections from fall to spring. This was the case until only a couple of years ago.The freshman elections will be the only exception and will continue to be held in the fall since students will not be present during the preceding spring term.
Overall, the change will have several benefits, according to SGA.
Holding the elections in the spring preceding their term of office would allow the SGA members to spend the summer preparing for their term rather than waiting nearly a month into the fall semester to take on their duties after elections.
This would also allow SGA to compete with other groups and organizations on campus that have their application processes in spring, which would help ensure that the best leaders are representing the student body.
However, during the SGA meeting, several members raised concerns about the change.
Some were concerned that students abroad may have an unfair advantage or disadvantage in running for an SGA position. However, the advocates of the amendment said that International Programs Director of Admissions and Student Affairs Jeff Hamilton was not worried about the change.
Other SGA members suggested the possibility that students would apply to several leadership positions in the spring and then bow out of their responsibilities to SGA in the fall. However, the amount of responsibility and accountability expected of SGA members seems to make this an unlikely possibility.
The amendment has the approval of SGA, as well as Dean of Student Affairs Mark Davis and Associate Dean of Student Affairs Tabatha Jones Jolivet, according to SGA representatives. Now it’s up to the student body to decide whether it will be permanently added to the constitution.
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Follow Falon Opsahl on Twitter: @falongraphic
