SG welcomes new senators, retains old habits

By the adjournment of the TAMIU Student Government’s (SG) first meeting of the Spring 2009 semester, a scant audience looked upon only five student-body senators representing a campus of (as yet unconfirmed) nearly six thousand. This first meeting underscored the recent departures-due to graduation, resignation, or impeachment-of several key senators. By the end of their second meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 21, however, the group nearly doubled that number.The senate unanimously confirmed the appointments of six new senators, three of whom were appointed by James Cortez, Student Body President, the week before:Christopher Swan, Graduate. A student in the A.R. Sanchez School of Business, Swan came to TAMIU from the United States Air Force Academy. He played guard on the TAMIU Men’s Basketball team for two years and served on the Student Athlete’s Advisory Committee. When discussing why he wants the position, Swan stated that he wants to “promote pride in being at TAMIU and coming from TAMIU.”Raul Castro, At-Large. According to Cortez, it was Castro’s response to a negative situation for the university that first impressed him. Last November, Loye Young, who taught an information systems class in the A.R. Sanchez School of Business, posted the names of students he accused of plagiarism on his personal website. The university dismissed Young, and the story appeared in a number of publications including the Laredo Morning Times and Inside Higher Ed. Young was also a guest on talk radio programs airing in Detroit and Philadelphia, where he continued to paint a less-than-flattering picture of TAMIU’s academic standards and policies. “I saw this person ready to defend this institution,” Cortez said of Castro. “He has a very good command of what needs to happen to succeed as an institution.”Castro, a freshman and member of the Hachar Honor’s Program, remarked that he felt “offended” every time he heard someone put TAMIU down. He read comments derogatory towards TAMIU posted as responses to a story The Daily Texan ran on the Young case and decided to answer. He says he engaged in a blog discussion with Loye Young himself. Eric Montalvo, At-Large. Valedictorian of his senior class in Hebbronville High School, Montalvo said he grew up working on a ranch and spent a lot of his life around nature learning skills he employed as President of his high school’s Future Farmers of America chapter and in land-judging competitions. He believes TAMIU students need to be more involved in student life. “No town could produce a better individual,” Cortez said of Montalvo. “He’s a really hard worker.”Fast forward to this week: the senate voted to confirm Cortez’s picks as well as an appointment of their own-Manuel Marquez, who served as Senator for the College of Arts and Sciences (COAS) in fall 2008 and briefly left Student Government. SG also announced that enrollment numbers for COAS require them to create two new senate seats for said college. President Cortez then suggested appointing Anibal Jimenez, a freshman. Jimenez attended most of last semester’s SG meetings, and he volunteered for the Rock the Vote voter awareness concert last November. Student Government Chief Justice Christine Cortez asked the four to stand, place their left hand on the SG Constitution and recite the oath. The new senators barely took their seats before the group added a member of the audience to its ranks. Realizing one COAS seat remained vacant, the Senate asked Luis Stagg, President of the Campus Activities Board, if he would like to serve. He agreed; though, he later stated he never sought a position.”This was a surprise,” he said after taking the oath. In other SG business, some questions arose over one of the senate’s frequent practices. When the Senate attempted to call a three-minute recess with the expressed intent of discussing business, their new sponsor, Gerardo Alva, Director of Student Activities, told them no closed sessions could be called unless already placed on the meeting’s agenda. Juan Mendive, Senator for COAS, said they were approving a recess, not a closed session. Alva told them a recess in which the Senate discusses business behind closed doors is also inappropriate. “A recess means a break,” Alva stated. “It does not mean we go to another room and talk about something and then come back and vote on it.”Last fall, the Senate made a near-weekly habit of calling for such breaks in the middle of their open meetings, particularly when sensitive issues came up. Some days they would call a recess, others a closed session. They did so last November at the meeting in which they asked President Cortez to resign. The clarification from Alva drew frustration from the Senate. They even voted to abandon the meeting’s agenda, but Alva told them that wouldn’t work either.”A new agenda, with a closed session on it, has to now be typed and printed out,” he said. Alva cited Robert’s Rules of Order as the source of his parliamentary advice. Finally, Sen. Mendive moved for a three-minute unmoderated caucus. The senators then formed a football-like huddle and held a discussion.Mendive later said secrecy was not the concern.”An unmoderated caucus just means we can talk freely about anything. Any member of the audience could’ve walked up to (the huddle), and we wouldn’t have sent them away,” he said. Christ