Organization Discusses Possible Restructuring

By Dave Heaton Hoya Staff Writer

Bill Jarvis (MSB ’02) and Grant Rusin (MSB ’02) made a formal proposal to the GUSA Assembly on Sunday calling for the formation of a student senate within the organizational structure of GUSA.

Their original proposal, distributed in an October e-mail to 92 campus leaders, described a separate entity with representatives from all 126 official student organizations that would meet twice a semester. Included in the group would be members of the faculty and the athletic department.

At Sunday’s Assembly meeting, GUSA President Ron Palmese (MSB ’00) read Article F of GUSA’s constitution, which describes a club union with a seven-member board. Like the proposed student senate, it would also represent all organizations on campus under the Student Activities Commission, the Media Board, the Office of Volunteer and Public Services and the Performing Arts Advisory Council, in addition to the Georgetown Program Board.

Jarvis and Rusin defended their proposal at the meeting. “If you start [the Student Senate] outside of GUSA and later bring it back in like GFC (Georgetown Funding Commission), it will be a stronger lobbying force for students,” Jarvis said.

GFC, a group which allows students to seek outside financial support, was founded as an initiative led by Palmese, Vice President Denis Scott (MSB ’00), Chief of Staff Benny Adler (MSB ’00) and GFC Chairman Peter Corsell (SFS ’00), though it now operates independently of GUSA.

In the October e-mail, Rusin and Jarvis described a group that would meet to shape university policy on important issues. At the time, Jarvis said that the only avenues available to students to voice their concerns were inefficient and did not serve justice to the students of Georgetown. Palmese responded to the e-mail by saying that he was happy that other students were taking an interest in improving Georgetown and that the proposal was similar to a GUSA initiative established two years ago to establish the Club Union.

Jarvis said that a major concern that has been brought up to him has been the potential for the proposed student senate and GUSA to disagree on major issues. “That won’t happen,” he said. According to Jarvis, “The idea isn’t to supercede GUSA. It is to increase student input to the administration.”

Mayumi Grigsby (FLL ’02), a sophomore class representative, said, “I think that the reason it left such a bad taste in everybody’s mouth last semester was because it was so secretive. If it helps with getting all the clubs to communicate and to promote unity, that’s a great idea. Then they can let us know [about their needs] in GUSA because we aren’t always as aware as we should be.” But, she added, “I don’t believe it should be a lobbying group [to the administration].” The issue will be revisited at next week’s meeting, to be held Sunday at 5:00 p.m. at GUSA’s Leavey Center office.

Notes: Also at the meeting, Palmese announced during the executive report that an emergency security meeting on the part of university officials was to be held the following day in New South to discuss the lack of call boxes on campus . . . He also said that GUSA had arranged for copy machines to be installed on the first and second floors of ICC in the coming weeks . . . Diversity Committee Co-Chairman Joe Morrow said that discussions with Judy Johnson, director of student conduct, were started last week to review the code of conduct in light of the vandalism of the Jewish Student Association menorah in December. The Hawaii Club was to be named the first Culture Club of the Month by the Diversity Committee and the Cultural Club Network for the month of February, he added . . . The meeting closed after a report by Eric Rivers (COL ’02), chair of the Student Services Committee, who said that the GUSA-sponsored student artwork in Hoya’s had been stolen and that a new projection screen was set to be installed in Hoya Court in time for Late Night at Leavey on Thursday night.