News of an averted impeachment trial, financial losses from the Welcome Week Concert and several bills hit the table at a meeting of the senate of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada April 2.
Here’s what happened:
- Impeachment Trial Off The Table
- Canceled Welcome Week Concert Still Comes With A $44,000 Price Tag
- Several New Bills Speedily Approved
Impeachment Trial Off The Table
A previously scheduled impeachment trial for a senator who failed to book room space for committee meetings was halted April 2, after ASUN’s senate Committee on Oversight heard the charges again and decided not to move forward with articles of impeachment after all.
Joel Martin, a senator for the College of Liberal Arts and previous presidential candidate, was accused of violating Nevada Open Meeting Law by not booking room space for meetings of the senate Committee on Government Operations, on which he serves as chair.
Senators at the first impeachment hearing, held March 12, initially voted to move forward with articles of impeachment against Martin. The trial resulting from that original vote, which was originally scheduled for the senate meeting on April 2, will no longer occur.
ASUN’s Attorney General, Antony Kuhl, who filed the original charges against Martin Feb. 26, rescinded them in a later statement, on the grounds that ASUN doesn’t have the power to investigate someone over Nevada law.
Aween Ali, speaker of the senate, then filed the same charges again March 24, and these were heard at the April 2 committee meeting that ultimately declined to move forward with articles of impeachment.
Canceled Welcome Week Concert Still Comes With A $44,000 Price Tag
After a year of setbacks, ASUN’s annual concert was canceled March 31, just a day before it was scheduled, after its headliner NLE Choppa suddenly withdrew.
Sandra Rodriguez, the university’s director of student government, explained that ASUN was able to get a refund for almost all of its contracts except for the one with production company JMF Presents. Following the concert’s abrupt cancellation, ASUN will have to pay out $44,369.98.
Several New Bills Speedily Approved
With just one senate meeting left in ASUN’s yearlong 92nd session, several bills were fast-tracked straight to a vote and approved.
“S.B. 92 – A Bill To Establish The Deal-Kemmelmeier Pack Grad School Fund,” will set aside ASUN funds to pay application fees for current undergraduate students at the University of Nevada, Reno applying for admission at UNR’s grad school.
Branding requirements for programs outside ASUN that receive its funds are the subject of “S.B. 92 – A Bill To Amend Financial Reviews to Evaluate the Visibility of ASUN Funding.” ASUN uses financial reviews to decide whether to renew its funding of certain programs the next year, and the bill adds new standards for things like displaying the ASUN logo and giving public credit in future reviews.
The three ASUN-funded student media organizations, Brushfire, Insight Magazine and Wolf Pack Radio, risk losing funding if they don’t display “Funded by @nevadaasun” in their Instagram bios.
“S.B. 92 – A Bill To Establish the ASUN Pack Friendly Business Program” requires the student discount initiative to continue under future leadership.
Future vice presidential leadership gets some new job requirements surrounding ASUN’s undergraduate research program and the ASUN-sponsored internship program in “S.B. 92 – A Bill To Revise the Statutory Duties of the Vice President and Aligning Statutory Requirements of the ASUN Undergraduate Research Grant and the ASUN Pack Internship Grant Program With Current and Best Practices.”
ASUN’s controversial annual retreat now has to be held at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Lake Tahoe Campus, according to “S.B. 92 – A Bill To Reform The Annual ASUN Retreat.” The bill also places a cap on the cost of the retreat, at no more than 1% of ASUN’s annual budget.
Senators will also face discipline from ASUN if they don’t attend it, or other retreats and trainings, without prior approval, according to “S.B. 92 – A Bill To Hold Senators Accountable For Attending Retreat and Transition Training.”
Five senators voted against the bill, including Elijah Houghtelling, the senate’s parliamentarian, who said ASUN’s administration this year has refused to work with people on valid reasons not to attend retreats.
“I think it’s the worst line item we have within ASUN, and I’ll gladly say that on the record,” Houghtelling said.
Food allergies and dietary restrictions get a nod in a new resolution, “S.R. 92 – A Resolution To Create Visible Signage Regarding Food Allergies and Dietary Restrictions at the Joe Crowley Student Union.” Since management at the JCSU can’t completely regulate the activities of its vendors, the resolution encourages JCSU management to work with vendors to display allergen information.
The senate Committee on Academic and Student Affairs will now be responsible for organizing a budget transparency presentation from the university’s Office of Administration and Budget, according to “S.B. 92 – A Bill To Revise the Duties of the Committee on Academic and Student Affairs.”
Finally, students should expect to hear more from ASUN about upcoming events on Canvas, according to “S.B. 92 – A Bill To Regularly Update the ASUN Canvas Page.” Notifications can be turned off under the “Account” tab on the Canvas home page.
Peregrine Hart can be reached via email at pe********@*nr.edu or on Instagram @pintofperegrine.
Correction 4/14, 1:45 p.m. The section on the rescinded Martin impeachment has been updated with details from additional committee meetings, included in the last two paragraphs.
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