SG approves act letting senators use projects outside their colleges

By Kayla Pickrell

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College senators aren’t required to use money for their own college in their Senate Special Project.

In the Student Government meeting Wednesday night, the senate approved the Senate Accountability Act with an amendment to the dress code and debate over Senate Special Projects.

The original act said in section two, part one, “Senators are required to sponsor a Senate Special Project.”

Maddie Wright, College of Arts and Sciences senator, proposed to add a fifth part to section two, outlining the Senate Special Projects. In the new part, it would express that college senators need to do their project in a way that benefits the college they represent.

It was then proposed to amend part one to say, “College senators are required to sponsor a Senate Special Project that benefits their respective college.”

McKenzie Bond, academic and student affairs vice chair, said senators shouldn’t have to just give money to their college, especially if the college doesn’t need it.

“You get so many emails from little groups that need money, and what if your college doesn’t need anything? And then you have to give them money?” she said. “There are all these little organizations (450) on campus. They need a lot of help.

“I’m totally against it, I’m sorry.”

There were a few senators adamant on changing the act to include using the projects within their respective colleges.

“Each college was given an ultimatum saying you have to cut this,” said Luke Glaser, internal affairs vice chair and College of Arts & Sciences senator, “and each cut that’s made, each program that’s let go, each person that’s fired, that affects a whole entity of people, but none more so than students.”

The Senate voted against the proposed amendment, allowing college senators to complete all projects on anything related to UK.

The Senate Accountability Act said in section one, part four, “Appropriate clothing shall be worn at Full Senate meetings (i.e. no athletic wear, etc.).”

Senate President Eli Edwards stepped down as president during the discussion of the dress code to be able to debate the issue.

“Should we really judge someone for wearing athletic shorts because they are coming from an intramural game? This should be a comfortable place for students to dress how they like,” Edwards said. “We are not a group of pretentious people that get together every Wednesday night to show off our clothing. Rather, we are a group of passionate students that desire to effect change on this campus, regardless of the clothes we have on.”

The Senate approved the amendment to strike the dress code from the act.

“I do not believe the Accountability Act as it stands is adequate or constitutional because it does not allow the Senate to be representative of all students,” Edwards said.