The Student Association failed to meet because a lack of membership turned out for the meeting, but two new bills regulating the way debates are held on the assembly floor during the budget process should be passed before December.

The proposed bills call for limits on speaking times for authors of new bills and technical questions and con-pro debates among the assembly. The bills also dictate similar time constraints for SA officers and assembly members when giving reports on working projects.

Joan Gabel, the SA parliamentarian, authored the bills along with other SA representatives because she said it should help meetings run smoother.

‘(The bills) are designed to streamline the process of SA meetings,’ Gabel said.

But just as the bills were to be voted on, SA President Andrew Lederman noted that the assembly did not meet quorum for the evening, and the proposals were tabled until next week’s meeting.

Because of the conflict between SA representatives and other students at meetings, Gabel said she felt the bills needed to be passed to make the budget process clearer to non-SA students.

‘This is going to make the student government more transparent,’ Gabel said.

There will also be a paper trail to follow under the new bills. All reports must be distributed in written form before they are given.

Gabel also said the bills will give the assembly members the opportunity to speak up and question those giving reports.

‘They say ‘this is what we’re going to do,’ and that’s not democratic.’

In other SA news:

n After the results from last week’s SA election came in favor of naming the new basketball student section ‘The Juice Box,’ assembly member Steve Newler has begun work to find corporate sponsorship for the section.

Over the weekend, he contacted Tropicana, Minute Maid, and Simply Orange, and will submit letters to the companies’ regional marketing departments.

Newler plans to get in touch with the SU athletic department for an official response to the student body’s choice of name for the student section.

‘We are eagerly awaiting a response from the athletic department,’ Newler said.

n The SA will sponsor free shuttles for Syracuse University students returning from Thanksgiving break back to campus from both Hancock Airport and the Regional Transportation Center, said public relations Director Sharon Clott. The shuttles will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Nov. 28.

Published on November 15, 2004 at 12:00 pm