Monday night’s Students’ Association meeting was a long one, with senators debating a change to their bylaws for over an hour before the amendment ultimately failed.
Some SA senators want to lower the spending limit that candidates can use on campaigns. The current campaign budget for senators is $2,500. This amendment to the bylaws would have decreased the budget to $750 for presidential and vice presidential candidates, and to $100 for senatorial candidates.
Primary sponsor for this amendment, Sen. Lydia Stein, said she thinks the passing of Amendment 25-1-A would help work towards SA’s goal of giving every student a fair chance to participate, regardless of their financial background.
“At the end of the day, this isn’t about numbers or dialogues, it is the opportunity,” Stein said. “It’s about making the Students’ Association continue to reflect the values of South Dakota State University, including that ‘Opportunity for All.’ I would respectfully ask for your support on this.”
Stein said in the Oct. 20 SA meeting, limiting campaign spending has correlation with increased voter turnout. Chief of Staff Emma Peterson brought concern about this evidence.
“In my head, spending less just means less people are going to be involved, less people are going to hear about SA,” Peterson said. “Outreach is just not there, so personally, I’m still going to be voting against this.”
Another potential issue cited by senators against the bill was that limiting how much candidates spend may produce a wider issue regarding free speech.
Stein said that decreasing the spending limit to $750 will still allow candidates to do a sufficient amount of campaigning.
After a long debate, 13 senators voted no, nine voted yes and one abstained. The amendment failed to receive a two-thirds vote.
OPEN FORUM
Tracy Greene, vice president and general counsel, addressed SA and gave insight on what the Office of General Counsel does for SDSU, as well as provided information on their recent projects.
Greene oversees the comprehensive legal services for SDSU and its employees. Any time there is a question or legal concern, Greene provides advice and management. She highlighted a project her and her office are currently working on.
“One of the major projects that we’re working on this year is with an ADA digital accessibility task force,” Greene said.
The task force has been working to ensure SDSU’s digital resources meet a “WCAG 2.1A or higher standard.” Students can expect to receive emails and newsletters as each of the standards are met.
“That includes everything from purchasing, to looking on a mobile app or looking at a website. All different kinds of materials,” she said.
According to Greene, the task force will have a webpage providing information and a timeline. The webpage will be made available to the public by Nov. 6.
Also during the open forum, three new club constitutions were passed. The Collegiate South Dakota Farmer’s Union, Jacks Judo Club and the Natural Resource Law Enforcement Club are now all available for students to participate in.
