Sen. Caleb Berrios, sophomore biology major and chair of the Sustainability Caucus, discusses Constitutional Amendment 58-01 during the Legislative, Judicial and Rules Committee meeting on Oct. 8 in the Student Government conference room. Berrios proposed the amendment to give students more input in Student Government decisions.
Keyla Franklin
The Student Body Senate unanimously passed Constitutional Amendment 58-01 in a 48-to-0 vote Thursday night, a measure that would add the Senate’s existing authority to call referenda by a two-thirds vote to the Student Body Constitution.
The Student Body Statutes already empower the Senate to call referenda of the student body, but the Student Body Constitution affords that power only to the student body president. Referenda allow direct student body votes on specific policy questions or issues.
In an email to The Charge, Senate President Owen Sherman said that by adding the Senate’s power to the constitution, the constitutional amendment would make it harder to remove or alter that authority.
“The proposed amendment does not grant or remove any powers, but simply enshrines the existing power of the Senate into the Constitution,” Sherman, junior legal studies and political science major, said.
Sen. Caleb Berrios, sophomore biology major and chair of the Sustainability Caucus, said he proposed the constitutional amendment to give more students a say in Student Government decisions.
According to Title VI of the Student Body Statutes, referendum results represent the official opinion of the student body. Sen. Zachary Gaudio, chair of the Legislative, Judicial and Rules Committee, said the results are advisory during an Oct. 8 Senate meeting.
The UCF Student Government Senate meeting displays the Senate’s 48-0-0 vote to approve Constitutional Amendment 58-01 Thursday night in the Charge on Chamber. The amendment would add the Senate’s existing authority to call referendum elections to the Student Body Constitution.
Keyla Franklin
At an Oct. 8 committee meeting, Berrios noted that his original draft would have removed the student body president’s authority to call referendums, but he adjusted the proposal after consulting with an adviser to retain executive authority alongside the Senate’s.
Students can also independently request a referendum under the constitution by gathering signatures equal to at least 15% of votes cast in the previous presidential election.
With the Senate’s approval, the amendment now heads to the spring Student Government elections, where it must earn majority support from voters before advancing to Vice President for Student Success and Well-Being Adrienne Frame for final review.
“My idea was ‘Hey, we need student input, and we have referendum elections, why don’t we use that to gain student input?’” Berrios said.