Compromise was the name of the game at Wednesday night’s Student Association Internal Affairs Committee meeting concerning the status of the Student Committee on Political Action.

The SA decided Sunday to refer to the IAC a senator’s proposal which would eliminate SCOPA as a standing committee. Senator Gary Stittgen proposed the SA constitutional bylaw change because SCOPA has “torn to shreads” the SA’s credibility.

Although IAC members have to be approved by the senate yet, the committee will recommend this Sunday that a decision regarding SCOPA be postponed until further information is presented to the senate.

The IAC compromised between eliminating SCOPA completely and maintaining the group’s current status by informally voting to further discuss the following bylaw changes: senate approval of SCOPA chairmen; roll call vote of all issues under SCOPA consideration; SA presidential veto power of SCOPA-approved actions, with SCOPA having the power to overrule the veto; a limit on voting SCOPA members; and establishing the senate speaker as an ex-officio SCOPA member with voting power.

Stittgen said giving SCOPA the power to override presidential veto is “one of the biggest problems” under bylaw changes suggested by the IAC.

“It’s unconstitutional to give a committee the power to override the president. It’s undemocratic,” Stittgen said. “From how I’ve gauged my constituents, SCOPA is a bunch of left-wing, liberal students that are going off on tangents and destroying the credibility of the SA.”

SCOPA Co-chairman Mike Goldstein defended the effectiveness of SCOPA. “We’ve been heard very strongly across the state and to some extent, across the nation,” he said.

SCOPA member Tom Rainey said, “To say (SCOPA is) losing respect by asserting power and taking charge in mass numbers is absurd because, historically, that’s how (SCOPA has) gotten respect.”