GPSA approves new board members, budget
Organization’s last meeting included approving research senator seat, name change for departments
April 23, 2019
GPSA held its last meeting of the school year and voted to approve new directors, the budget and a bylaw amendment.
The organization had its general election recently. However, certain executive board member seats were not been filled, GPSA Vice President David Silva said.
GPSA members confirmed three special election board members: Andrew Gillreath-Brown, Haley Mikeska and Anastasia Vishnevskaya.
They will serve as directors, but their titles will not be determined until later, Silva said.
Members also approved allocations for the fiscal year 2019-20 budget. GPSA received about $570,000, which is what the organization asked for, from the Services and Activities Fee committee, he said.
After much debate, members voted to approve a bylaw change so Recreation and Extension students will have a temporary senator seat until the 2019-20 election, GPSA Senator Michael Craven said.
At that point, R&E students will be added to the election ballot and will get a permanent senator seat, he said.
“The group can have representation until they are included in the normal apportionment process during the next general election,” he said.
Craven said before the bylaw amendment, R&E students were only included in their department; they did not have a senate seat for themselves.
He said the bylaw change will also give GPSA senators more control for groups petitioning for representation.
The GPSA Internal Affairs Committee, the committee in charge of changing the bylaws, also changed the word “department” to “academic unit,” Craven said.
Some people did not understand why there could not just be a line added to the bylaws so R&E students had a senator, Craven said.