Senate will vote at this week's general body meeting on a resolution to create a judicial panel by changing its current constitution.
Ohio University Student Senate may be one step closer in forming a judicial panel after its meeting Wednesday.
Senate will vote at this week's general body meeting on a resolution to create a judicial panel through changes to its current constitution. The resolution was tabled at last week’s meeting.
The panel, if approved by senate and then the OU Board of Trustees, would consist of nine justices, according to the resolution.
If the constitution is changed, those nine justices would replace the Conduct and Discipline Committee and the Rules and Procedures Committee, according to the resolution. They also will serve as senate's Board of Elections and decide on the impeachment and appeal of executives or senators.
Hannah Clouser, the senate treasurer and sponsor of the resolution, said the judicial panel would be "a huge change."
“It’s much more ethical and it allows for a group of unbiased individuals to interpret things in a very unbiased way,” Clouser said.
Landen Lama, senate's lead parliamentarian and sponsor of the resolution, said the judicial panel would make senate more consistent year to year.
“It’s my (favorite) thing," Lama said of the resolution. "It’s my passion."
Additionally, a constitutional amendment that was tabled at a meeting Feb. 10 will be brought to the body. The resolution, if passed, would remove the Board of Trustees' approval when amending Student Senate’s constitution.
Gabby Bacha, senate president, said there are advantages and disadvantages to requiring the Board of Trustees' approval on constitutional amendments.
“It kinda takes away that safeguard if anyone wants to dissolve student government all together,” Bacha said.
Lama, the sponsor of the resolution, said he plans to pull the resolution from the table.
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“I don’t think it is a proper resolution being that we are the Student Senate for everyone on campus and we want to be taken seriously,” Lama said. “If we remove their approval, we could risk ourself not being a recognized senate on campus.”
The body also will vote on a third resolution Wednesday to appoint Paige Wilson as an East Green senator.
“(Wilson is) super great,” Lama said. “She has a lot of aspirations.”
Senate also will hear three presentations this week, including those about empowering OU women through business, a student leadership organization and the Culinary Services Development Committee.
Jacob Haskins, the chair of the Culinary Services Development Committee, said he will present about upcoming changes to Culinary Services, including Jefferson Dining Hall.
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