Amendment to broaden legislation sponsorship passes in special election
Students voted to pass a constitutional amendment in a referendum that will now allow any student to sponsor Student Association legislation.
A total of 1,098 students voted in a special election held April 8-12; 1,039 (95 percent) voted in favor of passing the amendment. The SA constitution requires one-fifth of undergraduate students to vote and two-thirds of students to vote in favor for a constitutional amendment to pass.
Senate had voted at its meeting on March 18 to pass the constitutional amendment, which amends the SA Constitution sponsorship clause to allow any student to sponsor and introduce legislation as long as they have substantially contributed to its text. The amendment was introduced by Nick Jerge, the former SA parliamentarian, and Grace Wickerson, the SA president .
“As a parliamentarian, I do believe that it’s completely rational to remove the requirement that legislation has to be sponsored by at least one voting member of [SA] Senate,” Jerge, a Sid Richardson College sophomore, said at the March 4 SA Senate meeting. “People who do have ideas in mind should be able to put them forward. This lowers the barrier for students to get involved in [SA] Senate.”
At the March 18 meeting, the SA Senate also voted to deem the amendment time-sensitive so that a special election could be held this semester.
Jerge said that the constitutional amendment took effect immediately after its passage. Jerge said that students can review the resources on the SA website or contact SA Parliamentarian Freddy Cavallaro to submit legislation.
More from The Rice Thresher
Rice Students for Justice in Palestine declares ‘liberated zone’ on campus
As student protests erupt across the country, Rice Students for Justice in Palestine launched a “liberated zone” on Rice campus, announced a two-day series of events and started construction on an “apartheid wall.”
Jeremy Zucker headlines second-ever Moody X-Fest
Jeremy Zucker headlined Rice’s second annual Moody X-Fest in Founder’s Court on April 19. In advance of Zucker’s set, student groups like Basmati Beats, Rice Philharmonic and BASYK performed. The festival also offered complimentary merchandise and food from Dripped Birra, Cane’s and Oh my Gogi.
Jones wins men’s and women’s Beer Bike races, GSA snags alumni
Jones College won both the women’s and men’s Beer Bike 2024 races, while the Graduate Student Association claimed the alumni team win. Hanszen College bike teams were the runner-up in the alumni and men’s races, while Brown College was the runner-up in the women’s race. Martel and McMurtry Colleges did not bike in the alumni race, according to the Rice Program Council’s final report, and the GSA was disqualified from the men’s race for accidentally sending out two bikers simultaneously.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.