Student Senate holds closed session
Emily Seigel
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: News
On Oct. 28, Student Senate went to closed session for 20 minutes during its weekly open meeting. No one other than the senators and the advisers were allowed in the room during that time.
"It was nothing to do with any Student Senate business at all," Senate President Will Lynch said. "There was just a discussion that needed to happen to help us proceed with better business in the future…basically with how they [senators] carried themselves. I really can't say much more than that."
Lynch said he would have preferred not to hold the closed session during the meeting, but a vote was taken after Senator Nate Starmer made a motion to go to closed session, which Lynch said he believed to be unanimous.
"I'm sure there could have been other ways to go about it," Lynch said.
"This certainly is a way that we could have gone about it. It's per-fectly in line with everything that we are capable of doing. Regardless of my preference, there was a motion that was made and I recognized that motion."
Starmer said the closed session was a matter of internal issues.
Senator Darrell Sour, who was absent during the Oct. 28 meeting, informed the senate the closed session that took place was against their constitution.
"It was a direct violation of the constitution," he said. "It's one sentence that simply states our meetings shall remain open to the student body and faculty."
Senator Jeffery Scott Irish said he was in favor the points Sour brought up about the closed during the meeting.
"Anytime you're making a government body more transparent to the people they are supposed to be representing, I can't ever think of that as a bad thing," he said. "That's a good thing."
During the Oct. 28 meeting, Starmer also made motions to suspend the rules to vote on the Greener Campus resolution, as well as the Allocations of Funds resolution after their first readings. Both resolutions were voted on and passed.
"I think quite honestly that there are some issues that need further discussion and that people need to think about and I think there's other issues that are pretty obvious of what should be done or shouldn't be done, and I don't see a reason to prolong it," said Starmer. "The longer things sit on docket the less legislation gets passed, and senate needs to be about passing effective legislation, not reading, and reading, and reading."
"It was nothing to do with any Student Senate business at all," Senate President Will Lynch said. "There was just a discussion that needed to happen to help us proceed with better business in the future…basically with how they [senators] carried themselves. I really can't say much more than that."
Lynch said he would have preferred not to hold the closed session during the meeting, but a vote was taken after Senator Nate Starmer made a motion to go to closed session, which Lynch said he believed to be unanimous.
"I'm sure there could have been other ways to go about it," Lynch said.
"This certainly is a way that we could have gone about it. It's per-fectly in line with everything that we are capable of doing. Regardless of my preference, there was a motion that was made and I recognized that motion."
Starmer said the closed session was a matter of internal issues.
Senator Darrell Sour, who was absent during the Oct. 28 meeting, informed the senate the closed session that took place was against their constitution.
"It was a direct violation of the constitution," he said. "It's one sentence that simply states our meetings shall remain open to the student body and faculty."
Senator Jeffery Scott Irish said he was in favor the points Sour brought up about the closed during the meeting.
"Anytime you're making a government body more transparent to the people they are supposed to be representing, I can't ever think of that as a bad thing," he said. "That's a good thing."
During the Oct. 28 meeting, Starmer also made motions to suspend the rules to vote on the Greener Campus resolution, as well as the Allocations of Funds resolution after their first readings. Both resolutions were voted on and passed.
"I think quite honestly that there are some issues that need further discussion and that people need to think about and I think there's other issues that are pretty obvious of what should be done or shouldn't be done, and I don't see a reason to prolong it," said Starmer. "The longer things sit on docket the less legislation gets passed, and senate needs to be about passing effective legislation, not reading, and reading, and reading."
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 11
Tristan Routledge
posted 11/06/09 @ 9:18 AM CST
I just want to make it clear that, during the closed session,no new business or old business was discussed. I feel it was a good thing for the senate to do. (Continued…)
Darrell Sour
posted 11/06/09 @ 12:13 PM CST
Although unconstitutional, both the previous acts of moving into closed session & suspending the rules to vote on resolutions were done with good intention. (Continued…)
MSSU Concerned Student
posted 11/07/09 @ 3:06 PM CST
Senator Sour,
The chair would be the president (or in this case vice-president, since she was filling in). I believe the way it has been described that she probably did a much better job than Mr Lynch has done enforcing Roberts Rules, so maybe this one should be let go. (Continued…)
Ben Hinkle
posted 11/14/09 @ 8:05 PM CST
"Closed sessions" are properly refered to as executive sessions and are perfectly normal. In fact, per RONR 10th ed. p. 92 l. 32-34, "In any society, matters relating to discipline properly should be handled only in executive session. (Continued…)
Student
posted 11/16/09 @ 8:54 AM CST
Closing the meeting was an illegal act under Missouri State Sunshine law, as well as begin unconstitutional under the Student Senate Constitution. To have been legal, one of the exceptions of the sunshine law needed to have been cited when the motion was made to close the meeting. (Continued…)
Renee
posted 11/16/09 @ 11:59 PM CST
I feel as though this action has been blown out of proportion. It seems to me like Student Senate needs to quit being petty, learn from their mistakes, and get some real work done. (Continued…)
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