DeKALB – During Friday’s SGA senate meeting, Speaker Cole Hensley introduced a petition to terminate current Chief Justice of the SGA Supreme Court Elliot Weiskopf.
In the petition for Weiskopf’s termination, it noted the court failed to convene prior to the Oct. 1 Governing Document Review Process due date, the court failed to complete the Governing Document Review Process prior to Oct. 1, the court failed to complete the Governing Document Review Process at all, the court failed to review the Code of Conduct by Dec. 1, the court failed to complete the review of the Code of Conduct at all and the court failed to respond to a student’s request for a copy of the Supreme Court ruling for case SY24001.
The petition states, “The remaining supervisors have concluded that no corrective-action can be taken, due to extreme neglect of duty.”
If the SGA senate votes and reaches a two-thirds majority, Weiskopf will be terminated. The vote to terminate Weiskopf will take place at 2 p.m. Friday in the Holmes Student Center Sky Room.
SPECIAL SENATE MEETING NEXT FRIDAY
The SGA senate voted to hold an extra senate meeting at 3 p.m. Friday in the Holmes Student Center Sky Room. This will be the last SGA senate meeting of the academic year.
KHARDELL PHELPS CONFIRMED AS NEW SUPREME COURT JUSTICE
Khardell Phelps, the director of governmental affairs for SGA who was a candidate for vice president under the NIU Unity ticket, was confirmed as the newest member of the Supreme Court by a vote count of 12-1-0.
“I also believe that Khardell Phelps is a great candidate for the Supreme Court,” Sergeant-At-Arms Niko Bereolos said. “During the elections when appealing sanctions he was very well versed in the bylaws and the Constitution. It proved to be pretty annoying, but he was good at it, and he did read it pretty well. So, I think he is a very good candidate for the Supreme Court.”
A BILL TO ENSURE SGA SUPREME COURT FOLLOWS CODE OF PROCEDURE PASSES
Bill SR55057 will require justices to be questioned about their objectivity to a case. Additionally, it would ensure that if the Supreme Court justices could not meet due to recusal from a case, the case could still be processed by either the SGA senate or the SGA’s adviser.
The case will first be heard and processed by the senate, but in a scenario where the senate would have to recuse itself, the case would fall to the SGA’s adviser.
The constitutional bill passes with a vote count of 9-2-2.
RESOLUTION TO ALLOW SGA SPEAKER TO DETERMINE STIPEND AMOUNTS FOR SENATORS WILL BE VOTED ON NEXT WEEK
The resolution, 55061, would allow for the speaker of the senate to decide potential amounts for senators to receive at the end of the semester. To determine the amount of a stipend, the speaker will be required to submit a criteria list which will need senate approval.
The speaker of the senate will also be allowed to prevent senators from receiving a stipend with proper reasoning and evidence.
After discussion and debate and a failed attempt to table the resolution, it would be sent to rules and procedures and will be voted on next week.
Senator Eddie Guerrero believed senators should not receive stipends because of their failure to support student petitions. Specifically, a petition regarding a statement on the Israel-Hamas war and the recent failure to support a petition for an Indigenous Resource Center.
“I was just looking at the session this year, I think we have failed many times doing our job and the student body,” Guerrero said.
RECOGNITION OF THREE NEW STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
The following student organizations were recognized by the SGA senate: Hues Magazine, NIU Furry Club and Tedx NIU.
