By: Gerard Albert III/Assistant News Director
The merging of the two Student Government Councils has hit another roadblock.
The Modesto Maidique Campus and Biscayne Bay Campus senates have both voted against the new Student Government constitution that included a merging of the two councils.
A constitutional review committee made up of members of both SGC’s met throughout the summer and into the fall semester to make changes to the document.
Jefferson Noel, president of SGC-BBC was part of this committee and spoke to MMC senators on Monday, Oct. 15.
“I’m glad that the senate had a conversation and it was a debate,” said Noel, “I’m sure some people came in and said ‘this is my vote’ and others came in and said ‘I’m willing to be persuaded’”
Brandon Aquino gave a presentation detailing the new constitution then gave Noel time to answer questions about BBC’s perspective.
Peter Hernandez, nursing and health sciences senator, was vocally in favor of the merge citing fiscal benefits and representation for his nursing students.
“The nursing and health sciences seat has been vacant at the campus for the past three years, if we merged, I would be able to give these students at the BBC campus a voice,” Hernandez said to the senate.
Most notably, changes included the restructuring of the executive and legislative branch. Under the new constitution, one president would be elected for the entire SGA with an executive vice president and a vice president for the Biscayne Bay campus, Online students, Engineering Campus and FIU @ I-75.
The new Senate would be composed of one senator from each college or school that has a dean and one senator from each campus that hosts on-campus housing. The House of Representatives would be made up of one representative from each department with 800 or more enrolled students, while departments with fewer than 800 enrolled students will be grouped together and receive one “at large” seat.
Currently there is a MMC-SGC and a BBC-SGC each with their own president and the senate. MMC also presides over the Engineering campus while BBC governs over FIU @ I-75.
The future of the constitution and SGA merger are uncertain. Elizabeth Bejar, senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs, did not respond for comment by press time Friday, Oct. 19.
Noel and his BBC constituents would like to see the process halted entirely.