A resolution asking for the resignation of Kevin Kelly, vice president of legal and governmental affairs, was introduced at last week's Student Government Association (SGA) meeting.
Also, Julia Pratt, executive director of the Student Finance Board (SFB), announced that next year's SFB budget will reduce payrolls for some student leaders while increasing others, including the salary of the SGA executive president.
Jasmine Charl?n, executive vice president, wrote and introduced the Resolution Requesting Formal Apology and Resignation of Kevin Kelly. She said that she had to resort to a public resolution because of "failure to reach (Kelly) on a personal level."
The resolution seeks his resignation and apology, stating that Kelly "has not fulfilled his duties and responsibilities . has violated the attendance policy and has conducted himself in an unprofessional manner."
More specifically, the resolution stated that Kelly missed four governance meetings, four executive board meetings, two general body meetings and five one-on-one meetings with SGA Executive President Annelise Catanzaro.
According to the resolution, Catanzaro has also received "various complaints from the legal and governmental affairs committee members and the senate at-large." SGA members will debate the resolution today and vote on whether they will ask Kelly to resign.
SGA also approved SFB's budget for next academic year. Most clubs are not getting funding increases due to Gov. Jon Corzine's proposed budget cuts.
Pratt announced that next year there will be a $5,400 decrease in the payroll fund used to pay student leaders. A number of students on campus are paid by the College, including three of the SFB directors, two SFB accountants, the SGA and Inter-Greek Council (IGC) presidents, College Union Board directors and the editor-in-chief and managing editor of The Signal.
While a few positions that were previously paid are not being funded next year, other positions are getting raises. Next year's SGA president will receive about $7,440 from SFB, an increase of about $1,360.
Tom Sales, senator of Culture and Society, proposed a resolution that condemned Corzine "not for the budget cuts, but for lying to us." Corzine spoke at the College three times last year, and all three times he championed higher education.
"We gave him an honorary degree; I want it back," Sales said.
Steve Viola, senator of Business, said that he believed Rutgers University's condemnation of the governor two years ago led to more funding cuts "because (Rutgers) pissed off the governor." Viola added, "I think we're above Rutgers in our diplomacy."
Sales responded to Viola that "we shouldn't be afraid to do what is right," but others spoke out against his resolution.
"This isn't going to affect higher education," Daria Silvestro, alternate student trustee, said. She also reminded students to remember College President R. Barbara Gitenstein's warning the week before about not reacting in anger to the proposed budget.
After the resolution was voted on and defeated, Catanzaro praised the grievances listed by Sales and said "you can use this (resolution) as a basis for your letters" to legislators asking for restoration of the higher education funds.
The IGC/SGA Resolution proposed by S. Lee Whitesell, vice president of Academic Affairs, was tabled until a representative from IGC could speak to SGA.
The resolution, written to maintain good relations with IGC after the failure of the Greek Resolution, states that SGA will try to coordinate co-sponsorship. Many agreed with Viola that the resolution would "redefine what the IGC liaison will do."
The resolution was "an attempt to offer recourse for the last resolution" and "rebuild our relations," Whitesell said.
A number of SGA members proposed that the resolution be rewritten as a bill, changing the responsibilities of the IGC liaison, but others felt that SGA should not facilitate co-sponsorship. "I don't think it's our place to have to do that," Chris Rindosh, senator of Engineering, said.
SGA also approved the formation of the National Organization of Women (NOW) on campus. NOW plans to hold music festivals and workshops, such as body image and "men can stop rape" workshops. NOW will be open to all women on campus and is a chapter of a national organization, which sets it apart from Women in Learning and Leadership and the Women's Center.
Leo Inglima, vice president of equity and diversity, presented two diversity awards during the meeting. One was given to Angel Hernandez, vice president of PRISM, and the other to Lambda Theta Alpha, a Latin sorority, for its work on the diabetes walk and a sex workshop.
Ryan Cignarella, sophomore math major, was approved as a new associate member.
