At its most recent meeting on Tuesday, Lehigh Student Senate discussed several changes to the language to its constitution, which hasn\u2019t been amended since 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One line in particular, which is part of an amendment to Article 4, Section 2 of the constitution, outlining the role of senate president, was one of the major topics of discussion. It currently reads, \u201cThe president should consult the full senate on matters relating to the capacity as official spokesperson.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heidi Bauer, \u201828, the Senate\u2019s parliamentarian, said that the word \u201cshould,\u201d principally, is best left out of the constitution to limit ambiguity.<\/p>\n
The amendment would place guardrails on Senate President Drew Smith, \u201827, and his ability to use the term \u201cwe\u201d to represent the Senate in matters of correspondence that pertain to all Senate members.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mariana Rold\u00e1n, \u201828, Senate\u2019s vice president, said that this amendment \u201coffered a protection to the senators\u201d in terms of how they are represented as a collective.<\/p>\n
Senate discussed this amendment for over 20 minutes. Motion to extend conversation was granted four times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smith acknowledged prior mistakes he made in Senate communications. In a recent email to The Brown and White and greater Lehigh community, he said he included the pronoun \u201cwe,\u201d but signed the email as senate president. A few senators had voiced their displeasure with Smith speaking directly on their behalf.<\/p>\n
Smith said although he doesn\u2019t believe the vast majority of senators, or even a majority, disagreed with the sentiment, he said it\u2019s important that the senators who he represents don\u2019t feel misrepresented.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I took today\u2019s meeting as an opportunity to recognize that mistake, and I\u2019ve been very mindful in not repeating that in the future,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
He also said the role of being spokesperson doesn\u2019t shut off when he leaves the boardroom, and that students often approach him with questions when he\u2019s on his way to dinner, when a professor mentions Student Senate in class, or over email with other universities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smith said he believes that being able to speak respectfully and mindfully is one of the most important aspects of the Senate president\u2019s job.<\/p>\n
\u201cPressure is a privilege. This role of being the leader of what I would say is the most important organization on campus, is something I take exceptionally seriously, and choosing my words carefully in specific situations is something I\u2019m very mindful of, especially when going on the record,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
Senator and Chair of the Student Outreach Committee Eddie Grinnan, \u201829, said emails drafted by Smith to be sent to The Brown and White weren\u2019t reflective of the entire Senate\u2019s position.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Grinnan said this resulted in an effort to restrict the president\u2019s ability to speak on behalf of the full Senate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He added that Smith had personally told the Senate he would commit to being more transparent about professional correspondence in the future.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, Grinnan said that trust in the longevity of the constitution is of great importance given that the document will apply to future executive boards.<\/p>\n
The amendment ultimately failed in a 20-12 vote.<\/p>\n
Article 4, Section 3 pertains to the Vice President\u2019s responsibility to meet with each committee chair at least once per week over the course of the academic semester. A vote to change the verbiage from \u201cshould meet\u201d to \u201cshall meet\u201d was passed in a 25-1 vote.<\/p>\n
Re-vote on the trial period for Students Demand Action<\/p>\n