The Associated Students of Madison Student Council gave preliminary approval Wednesday to legislation aiming to create a better relationship between ASM and other student governments on campus.
Student Council Rep. Richard Rolland III proposed the legislation to allow college or school government bodies such as Polygon, the engineering school’s student council, to have speaking rights on ASM Student Council.
Alex Schulz and Olivia Rice, co-presidents of Polygon, spoke in open forum and said the legislation would allow for better communication between ASM and other student governments.
Student Council Rep. Niko Magallon said he would not vote for the legislation because it is an “unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.”
However, Student Council Rep. David Gardner said more students would come to council if they were given this opportunity rather than just the option to speak in open forum.
“This legislation will only create more collaboration across campus,” Gardner said.
The council will need to pass the legislation a second time for it to be fully enacted.
However, the council did not approve Rolland’s second piece of legislation that aimed to hold ASM Student Council representatives more accountable to the specific college they represent.
Many representatives said the legislation is constraining by forcing representatives to resign if they change majors and are no longer a part of the school or college they originally represented in ASM.
Student Council Rep. Libby Wick-Bander said the legislation would be too restrictive with no positive outcome.
Also in the meeting, Student Services Finance Committee Chair Ellie Bruecker said SSFC is appealing Chancellor David Ward’s recent decision to not approve the professional staff contracts for Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group.
Bruecker also said Ward upheld SSFC’s decision to minimally fund the Multicultural Student Coalition.
