Prior to its Feb. 26 meeting, Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) received its third resignation of the year – this time, its secretary for alumni affairs.
Adam Weiss resigned from his position on Friday, Feb. 19, said Speaker of Senate Reena Murphy. Weiss’ reason for resigning was not stated.
During the meeting, Off-Campus Senators Ian Chenkus and Omar Elghazawi discussed plans they’ve been working on for cabinet reform, which would include abolishing the position of secretary for alumni affairs and moving the duties of the position to the student body vice president.
“We felt as if moving the duties of that position over to the vice president would be an easy way to move those responsibilities pretty seamlessly,” Elghazawi said, “especially because as of right now, the vice president doesn't have outlined duties in the bylaws.”
Student Body Vice President Jessica von Zastrow spoke in support of this move, which she said would give the position of vice president more concrete duties.
“This was actually kind of like the stars aligning because I had been having conversations with Speaker Murphy about how we can improve and adjust the bylaws of the vice president to create more responsibility and accountability,” von Zastrow said.
Elghazawi said a bill reflecting this change will be presented in a few weeks. If it passes, von Zastrow will assume the position’s responsibilities. If it fails, ASG will elect a new secretary for alumni affairs.
Later in the meeting, ASG passed two pieces of legislation: a bill and a resolution.
The bill, authored by Speaker Pro Tempore Victoria Villanueva and Elghazawi, added a “love & honor code” to ASG’s bylaws.
Among other things, the code calls on members of ASG to uphold Miami’s code of conduct, be completely transparent with their constituents and lead by example in their conduct.
The bill passed with 36 approvals, two denials and three abstentions.
The resolution, authored by Elghazawi, On-Campus Senator Karim Sammouri and Academic Senator Sevara Ubaydullaeva, calls on dining services to provide accommodations for students who are fasting for Ramadan.
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Ramadan is a Muslim holiday in which participants fast from sunrise to sunset. This year, it lasts from April 12 to May 12.
Elghazawi said the fact that dining halls close at 8 p.m. is inconvenient for students who are fasting because they typically don’t break their fasts until much later than that.
“The food is cold and bad by the time you actually get to eat it,” Elghazawi said.
The resolution was widely praised by senators, and it passed with 39 approvals and two abstentions.
ASG’s next meeting is on Tuesday, March 2 at 6:30 p.m.
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