The Georgetown University Student Association passed three new bylaws at a special session on Tuesday in an effort to increase transparency, efficiency and accountability to students.

The bylaws were discussed and voted on by last year’s senators, who will remain in their positions until elections later this month.

“We are trying to tackle major problems aimed at improving representation, increasing transparency and becoming more effective,” said Nick Troiano (COL ’11), chair of the Senate’s transition team.

“This includes making sure there is oversight in GUSA, that meetings are open and accessible and that the Senate works in a way where things can be accomplished every time we meet,” Troiano said.

The first act passed modified the bylaws concerning the appropriation of GUSA funds. In the spring 2009 budget appropriations process, the Funding Board allocated $20,000 to GUSA. In the past, no procedure existed for how the money would be spent. This year, the GUSA Finance and Appropriations Committee will allocate at most 25 percent of the budget, to be split evenly between the GUSA Senate and the GUSA executive branch for operating costs.

The remaining 75 percent will be allocated to a general fund for club and event programming.

“This was a move to create more oversight on how the money was spent; there was nothing regulating this in the past,” Troiano said.

The act also stipulates that all operating costs over $100 must be approved by the majority of the Senate.

The second act modified bylaws concerning executive appointments. The executive branch makes about 30 to 40 student appointments to several boards on campus, from the university’s board of directors to the Campus Food Committee. The bylaws require that those appointments are confirmed by GUSA, but in the past, these confirmations did not happen.

In order to streamline the process, the Senate can now confirm the board appointees collectively. If the Senate raises an objection against a potential board member, the member will be isolated from the rest of the group in the voting process.

The final act passed responded to the confusion that often occurs when members of the Senate are also members of the GUSA president’s cabinet. The new bylaws require members appointed to the president’s cabinet to immediately resign their seats in the GUSA Senate.

On Sunday, the senators will meet to determine whether to pass a fourth measure that would cut the number of senators by nearly half. If passed, it would change the current system of proportional representation to one of single representation per dormitory or living area, plus four at-large seats. [The new system would reduce the number of GUSA senators from 35 to 19](https://www.thehoya.com/news/gusa-shrinks-senate-seeking-reform/).

Troiano, who was in favor of all of the bylaw changes, said he hopes that these measures will increase Georgetown students’ trust in GUSA after past student complaints of ineffectiveness.

“We need good students to run for open positions and for all students to stay informed and active about campus affairs,” Troiano said. “We are more than willing to earn the support of students, but students have to be willing to give it – staying cynical about GUSA is self-defeating for everyone.” “