By Jenna Duncan, News Staff

The Student Government Association (SGA) confirmed its first Chief of Staff and passed an amendment to reform the Operational Appeals Board at Monday night’s joint senate meeting.

After the senate passed a resolution last semester that would create a student-run appeals board, university officials wanted the senate to rework the board to include a university representative. The board handles appeals from SGA, predominantly the Budget Review Committee (BRC), about the allocation of funding, SGA President Ryan Fox said.

Following the original vote after the amendment was presented, SGA senators debated for almost an hour. Many argued that the amendment should not be passed just to pacify the university.

“I disagree with it for the simple fact that we, time and again, bow at the will of the university and do not stand up for things we think should go through,” said Lucas Rose, a senior SGA senator. “I don’t need to remind you all how long we spent debating each and every part of our new constitution, and because the university looks at this and says ‘I don’t like it’ to simply go back with out tails between our legs and change it for fear that they won’t sign our constitution. And [doing that] rather than perhaps debating with them, does not sit well with me.”

But if the amendment did not pass, Fox said, there would not be an appeals board in place at all for the approval of the Constitution.

“We spent a lot of time and a lot of people spent a lot of late nights in these senate chambers to talk about this,” Fox said. “The bottom line is, yes we can delay this, but until we officially talk about what we want changed we can’t make any progress … Look at the bigger pictures and look at the fact that we don’t have an operational appeals board right now and that we’re asking for an operational appeals board.”

The senate reached a resolution that sitting on the Operational Appeals Board would be the comptroller, a justice appointed by the Operation Appeals Board general membership selected by the executive board, the university’s Vice President for Student Affairs, and the student body president as an ex officio non-voting member.

A second amendment was presented, but later withdrawn, regarding who will be the vice chair of the senate. The amendment stated the role would go to the Parliamentarian, but because the Parliamentarian must be unbiased, a majority of senate members decided vice chair shouldn’t be the Parliamentarian. The senate will vote on a vice president in the fall.

Junior senator Mike Splain was nominated as Chief of Staff out of several candidates for the position, and confirmed by a vote of 16-1 after answering questions from senators ranging from how he handles criticism to whether he uses trays in the dining hall. One vote was voided for having “I don’t care” written on the ballot.

Splain has been a member of SGA since September, has served as the secretary of Music and Entertainment Industry Student Association (MEISA) and was Fox’s campaign manager earlier this year. He said he is excited to take more of a leadership role in the organization. Since it is a new position he has a few goals in mind, but wants to help the position fully evolve.

“I hope this year to help the senate make the process easier to become a senator and to stay a senator,” he said. “I will always be open to suggestions and expanding this new position however necessary.”