The Student Association Senate voted down a new club admission policy on Monday, calling for a more structured procedure for the acceptance of new clubs into SA. Senators said they wanted to close loopholes that make it easier for illegitimate and unmotivated clubs to gain acceptance.
The Senate will continue to focus on the development of a policy that would outline how a new club would attain permanent status.
Every year, as a new Senate comes into session, the old policies concerning new club admission become nothing more than reference material for the new group. This means that the new Senate can re-write the entire policy concerning the admission of new clubs into the SA and their ability to receive funding.
A revision to the SA club guidelines requires that a new club must retain temporary status for 105 days or three and a half scholastic months when school is in session to become a permanent club. In the past, there used to be a suggested six-month period before a club could apply for permanent status. Clubs are also required to accomplish a certain number of events in which they must participate and/or co-sponsor during that time period.
Every club must hold two events of which they are the primary sponsor. Under the new guidelines, "these events must be in line with the club's purpose or mission statement as set forth in their constitution." Furthermore, every club's constitution must be on file with SA for reference.
Viqar Hussain, the Senate chairman, proposed that each club must complete two more events, one of which is co-sponsored by a club within their council and one co-sponsored by a club from another council.
The amendment was voted down on the basis that the guidelines for what the structure of a club event needs to be aren't structured enough. Basically, members of one club could have a spaghetti dinner with another club and count it as an inter-council or intra-council event.
Next meeting, the SA Treasurer Mazin Kased, is scheduled to interview the nominees for the finance committee, of which five will be approved.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
