USG moves forward with Herrin proposal

By Jessica Wettig

The Undergraduate Student Government continued with an official recommendation to remove Roger Herrin from the university’s Board of Trustees.

Senator Adrian Miller said the proposal, which addresses supposed remarks about the university’s need to recruit fewer minorities Herrin has denied making, will eventually end up in the governor’s office. Because USG represents the student body, taking action to make this proposal could represent the entire university, Miller said.

The senate also reviewed Miller’s proposal to change USG’s finance committee at the meeting. Nineteen members, 16 of them senators,

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attended the meeting.

The remarks were reported in Chicago after

SIU paid for advertising there, which Miller said could be catastrophic for university publicity.

Senator Christopher Wheetley said he’d like to see Herrin’s supposed remarks in writing before the USG votes. The senators reviewed a Southern Illinoisan article and witness’ reports of the remarks during their meeting, but senators also read that Herrin denies the remarks.

“I think this is kind of a bold resolution, but it seems like kind of a wishy-washy issue,” Wheetley said.

Miller apologized for not having the remarks ready, and the proposal was tabled.

When the senate moved from trustee matters to financial issues, Miller presented the senate with a 19-page document to replace the Finance Committee with a Department of Treasury.

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The change would replace the finance chair with a treasurer, a paid position where a person is appointed by the president and confirmed by the senate as opposed to the finance chair’s only hurtle to election is a senate vote, Miller said.

Wheetley said he is concerned with the document’s length, as the government’s overarching constitution only contains 17 pages.

“It’s a shame our constitution’s only 17 pages,” Miller said. “It should be double.”

Miller said the document is large because of details needed for multiple situations, such as an appeals process for RSOs that are denied funds. If a situation occurs and no document references the issue, Miller said there is nothing USG can do.

Presently, the documents contain too much information to be passed in one motion, senator Oliver Keys said. The decision was tabled, but USG is forming a seven-person committee to review the document.

Miller asked Internal Affairs Committee Chair Dominique Woodhouse to take part in forming this committee, and she agreed.

While the finance committee’s school year balance is now $317.11, there is still enough funds to help some RSOs.

Joy Madison, Women Business Association representative and sophomore from Chicago studying marketing, petitioned USG, and the WBA was approved for $182.49 for food and supplies for a women’s spa day Saturday.

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