SGA Senate passes public, financial statutes

On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the Southern University Student Government Association Senate voted to enact two new statutes concerning public and financial documentation procedures.
Junior Class Senator and Senate President Pro-tempore Carey Ash introduced the “Myles Minix and Open Records Statutes” in an effort to promote “transparency between the respective branches of government and the student body.”
“I believe that it is the responsibility of our government to be open and honest with the students and let them know what student government is doing in their name and on their behalf,” Ash said.
The “Myles Minix Statute”, named after the former Managing Editor of the Southern Digest, makes it mandatory that “a copy of all minutes, proceedings, introduced and considered legislative instruments and documentation of all votes” be compiled into one document that would be readily available for immediate student viewing, according to Section 7 of the bill.
This document would be updated after every Senate meeting.
According to Ash, Minix wrote a letter to former Senate President Tiffany Johnson requesting a copy of minutes from the student senate meeting and executive session held on February 14, 2006. When these records were not made readily available, Minix threatened to pursue legal action.
Ash saw this as a serious issue that needed immediate attention.
“If he saw it (as a problem), then he can’t be the only one that’s feeling like this,” Ash said. “When I realized how serious of an issue this was, I felt that it was necessary to put into law that we have got to get the records made public and have them readily available for students if they want it.”
The “Open Records Statute” concerns the financial documentation of the SGA that is provided by the Treasurer.
It makes it mandatory that “a copy of all purchase requisitions, purchase receipts and operational budget modifications” be submitted to the student Senate and uploaded onto the official SGA website, according to Sections 8 and 11 of the bill.
Ash feels that having all records open to the student body will build a better trust relationship between the student body and the student government.
“We make decisions that affect the student body, and its important for the student body to know what decisions are being made and how these decisions will effect them,” Ash said. “By being open and honest with our records, student government and the student body can begin to build a better trust with one another.”