SGB breaches Robert’s Rules

The Student Government Board does not plan to readdress the board’s split-decision vote to… The Student Government Board does not plan to readdress the board’s split-decision vote to approve a $4,250 payment to the United States Student Association at its final meeting last Tuesday, despite that this action is a violation to the Board’s own constitution.

During the board members’ debate over the issue, board member – and president-elect – Sumter Link called for question, a motion that calls for debate to cease and the board to immediately vote on the issue.

Once Link’s call for question was seconded, the board proceeded to vote 5-3 in favor of paying the money.

According to Robert’s Rules of Order – official meeting bylaws that are in the SGB constitution – the board should have voted on whether or not to continue debate before voting. Without doing so, any one individual could be suppressing the freedom of speech of all other board members.

Robert’s Rules states that a vote is necessary because halting a debate would “suspend the fundamental right of every member of a deliberative assembly to have every question fully discussed before it is finally disposed of.”

SGB President Shady Henien said that despite the constitutional breach, this method of procedure was based on precedent. “That’s how we did it [in 2006] when I was a board member,” he said. “It might have been a technicality, but we all understand each other. It’s not a big deal.”

In addition to violating Robert’s Rules, the board ignored a rule in the SGB constitution that prohibits board members from talking more than twice during discussion.

“It’s OK, it’s the last meeting,” Henien said during the debate.

When asked whether he would fight the decision, outgoing board member Jim Priestas – who was one of the three votes against paying the money – responded apathetically.

“No. I’m done,” he said.

The USSA is both the largest and oldest national student-led organization in the nation. It serves as a union of student governments that lobbies for students’ causes.

While all board members who have experience with USSA agreed on the high value of the program – which has been allowing Pitt to be an affiliate member at no charge for the past three years – the $4,250 was based on a 25 cents per student rate.

It is against SGB policy to pay for individual dues of students to be in an organization.