Issues brought up before winter break regarding the procedures of hiring Student Association staff members stirred controversy at Sunday’s Student Senate meeting.

On Dec. 3, the last meeting before break, Mike Zmuda was brought before the senate for approval in the governmental affairs position. Senators did not approve Zmuda for the position.

However, the nomination process was held again over break, and out of three interviewees, Zmuda was hired as the acting governmental affairs director.

Sen. Jeffrey Meyer said many senators didn’t feel that the procedure was accurate.

“I’m upset because the executives possibly misinterpreted the constitution and circumvented the authority of the senate,” Meyer said. “The issue at hand is that afterward, the president went through the nomination process again and appointed him as an acting director.”

When senators again voted on hiring Zmuda, the results were the same: He wasn’t approved for the position.

President Ken Getty said every senator he talked to said they didn’t have a problem with Zmuda.

“Senators had a problem with the process,” he said. “We needed someone over break, but we need someone even more now.”

It’s stated very clearly in the constitution that once a candidate is rejected, they cannot reapply, Getty said, citing Article 3, Part I of Constitution 2000.

“I had people coming up to me saying Zmuda worked so hard he should get the worker of the month award,” he said. “He was like a ball of fire getting everything done.”

Meyer said he will be filing a case with the SA Supreme Court to seek final interpretation.

“I have nothing but great respect for the president,” he said. “It’s not a personal suit but a case filed for clarification.”

With Zmuda gone, positions are open. If students would like to apply for one of eight senator positions or the governmental affairs position, they should call the senate speaker, Gema Gaete-Tapia, at 753-9925, or stop by the SA office, Campus Life Building, Room 180.

In other business, the SA executives and directors went on a one-day retreat to Cortland, Ill., Jan. 20 to discuss last semester, said Jessica Norwood, SA director of public relations.

“We talked about what we did right and what we did wrong,” she said. “It was a reflection leading into new goals for this semester.”

The executive staff and directors would like to increase relations with the senate this semester, Norwood said.

“One of our goals is to attend every senate meeting so senators are kept abreast of what we’re doing,” she said.

In honor of the Super Bowl, the senate voted and approved cancelling next Sunday’s meeting.