Committee weighs a vote to break up student congress

A Student Congress known for ambitious reforms to streamline student government has found its latest target.

Itself.

The rules and judiciary committee of the body will debate a piece of major legislation tonight that proposes a referendum for the Feb. 8 election that, if passed, would abolish the organization as students know it.

Representative and finance committee chairwoman Chelsea Miller drafted the bill this week. It would make the operations of Student Congress more efficient, she said.

Miller said she thought of the idea after speaking with students who believe that Student Congress is inefficient.

The bill proposes replacing Student Congress with two specialized boards. One would address finance issues, including student fees and appropriations to student groups. The other would address issues of legislation — changes to the Student Code.

The bill proposes repealing the first four sections of Article I of the Student Body Constitution, which is Title I of the Student Code.

It has already met criticism from members of Student Congress who contend that the bill is undemocratic by allowing students to vote on fewer positions.

Under the structure proposed by the bill, 12 positions would be elected, 12 would be appointed by the Graduate and Professional Student Federation and six would be appointed by the student body president.

“Is it even a congress anymore when most of the positions aren’t even elected?” said Zach De La Rosa, chairman of the rules and judiciary committee.

“The bill opens a discussion for changes to the committee structure,” he added. “I hope that Chelsea will work with the increasingly large group of us in Congress that are trying to work to change.”

Miller said she was willing to negotiate the membership terms of the bill.

“I thought it would be better to have freshmen appointed,” she said. “The democracy side of me would say they would have to be elected, but I’m not sure how that would look.”

Nicholas Sullivan, a representative on the rules and judiciary committee, said he would withhold judgement until the committee discusses the proposal today.

“Obviously something has to be done,” he said. “There are other ideas floating around that I am sure will be addressed in the near future.”

McKinney Brown, chairman of the student affairs committee, said he supports the bill’s goal of making Student Congress more efficient.

“As Congress members, though we are in different committees, we are still held responsible for actions of the bodies as a whole,” he said. “This would streamline students’ interest and thus make leaders more invested in their responsibilities.”

Representative and member of the finance committee Lee Storrow said he is torn over the bill.

“Part of me really likes it,” he said. “On the flip side, I have a lot of comfort with the current model.”

Members said the bill would likely be altered in committee.

“A bill that comes out could be radically different than what Chelsea Miller proposed,” Storrow said.

Miller said she is not opposed to negotiating the bill.

“This isn’t me doing this to hear myself talk, this is starting a conversation,” she said.

“We’ve done it this way for the past 92 years and it hasn’t really worked.”

If the bill is passed in the rules and judiciary committee, it will proceed to the meeting of full Student Congress on Feb. 1.

If passed by the whole body, the proposal would be placed on the Feb. 8 ballot.

Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.