SGA constitution passes, ends Senator positions

The new SGA constitution has officially passed after 250 successful student votes. The changes in the constitution will become effective next fall, bringing an executive board of four, and House of Representatives of 12 members.

On Tuesday evening, SGA members held their first information meeting for students that are interested in acquiring a position in the fall.

According to the new constitution, the executive board will be made up of an elected president and vice president, who will appoint vice presidents of communications and of finance and marketing.

“The vice president of finance and marketing will oversee all funding of SGA and will have the responsibility of overviewing all policies [both] internal and external,” SGA president, Ariana Lopez said.

“The senators’ job was, and the [future] House of Representatives job is, to take the voice of students to administration. The vice president of communication does the opposite of that and takes all the work that SGA is doing to the student body,” current SGA vice president Andrew Diaz said.

Members of the future executive board will experience a significant change in pay as they will be paid by the hour for their work instead of the usual stipend. The Senate will be replaced by the House of Representatives, which will draw from more diverse groups on campus. The House of Representatives will include two commuters, two athletes, one transfer, one STEM, one fine arts and a representative from each of the five dorms.

Students interested in becoming representatives can expect to run early next fall. These positions will also be voluntary and require only three office hours.

Those who attended the meeting showed high hopes and excitement in this new constitution. Maranda Idoni, a candidate for SGA president, appeared enthusiastic for the new structure.

“I’m actually really excited for it because…the work will be more evenly split, and someone can give their full selves into their work…and the [House of Representatives positions] will really be in tune with the community of Vanguard,” Idoni said.

SGA members are expecting the new changes in student government to bring a more precise representation of the many voices on campus.