On Wednesday, April 1, the Snevets Government Association (SGA) passed Resolution S-20S-004 Diversity & Inclusion Committee Kickoff Act (D.I.C.K.) which struck Section 7.11 The Diversity & Inclusion Committee (D&I) from the SGA bylaws. According to Owna Womenlostto, the Super-Senior Super-Senator who proposed the resolution, Diversity & Inclusion Committee is not similar to the other standing committees of the SGA. There is little overlap between SGA senators and Diversity & Inclusion Committee members, and many other colleges have a “campus diversity board” separate from their student government. “I don’t think the SGA should be running inclusion,” stated Womenlostto.
One of the SGA’s prominent responsibilities was to provide funding to D&I. In the Bylaws, The Diversity & Inclusion Committee was guaranteed a minimum of 61% of the Student Inactivity Fee (SAF) as a line item, and therefore D&I did not have to budget in the same manner as Unrecognized Student Organizations (RSOs). In order to move funds to different items in their budget, RSOs have to submit a reallocation request to the the SGA, which may be approved or denied by the overbudget committee of the SGA, whereas D&I moves all of its funds internally from event to event. With the removal of Section 7.11 from the bylaws, the Diversity & Inclusion Committee is no longer guaranteed their funding by the SGA and will instead receive 61% of the SAF via an off-the-top request from the Office of Snevets Life.
According to Nazeer Monteelvo, President of D&I, former senator, and sponsor of the resolution (and the revolution), oversight powers would be more appropriately held by the Office of Snevets Life. Monteelvo said, “In my eyes, D&I oversight needs to be able to do two main things: 1. Step in during an emergency or in the event that an officer cannot perform their duties, and 2. Be qualified in providing event planning knowledge and resources. Snevets Life fulfills both of these qualifications, whereas SGA does not.”
Monteelvo gave the D&I ski trip last Sunday as an example. At this off-campus event, Snevets Life would be held liable in the event of an emergency, while the SGA would not. “Throughout the whole ski trip, we were in constant communication with Snevets Life, worrying about students’ whereabouts, financial transactions, and student safety. All three of those concerns could not have been fulfilled by SGA oversight.”
A majority of SGA senators supported the resolution removing Section 7.11 The Diversity & Inclusion Committee from the bylaws, but some were concerned that the bill was preemptive. Mathew Keenturkey, a junior Senator, is among those who abstained from voting on the bill and later opposed it. “This change seemed very preemptive,” says Keenturkey. He added, “The SGA definitely needs to restructure some of the organizations and committees underneath it, including the Diversity & Inclusion Committee. But the Senate should have seen a finalized plan delineating the future relationship between SGA and D&I before they divorced from us. Right now the answer is not a cut-off, so this conversation is worth revisiting.”
Despite the passage of D.I.C.K., the Diversity & Inclusion Committee is looking forward to effective collaboration with the Snevets Government Association as a separate entity. However, this may be short-lived. On the docket for the April 2, 2020 SGA meeting, there is a motion to rescind approval for D.I.C.K. that would potentially re-establish Diversity & Inclusion as a standing committee of the SGA.
Be First to Comment