SGA provides budget updates, amends by-laws in recent general assembly

By Gauri Raje News Editor

In last week’s General Assembly, the Student Government Association (SGA) provided updates to its annual budget and amended its bylaws.

The meeting started with an update from SGA President Jasmin Paquet-Durand Ford, who encouraged members to apply for executive positions without hesitation, adding that anyone interested should reach out to her in order to get a full picture of the responsibilities that come with the different positions.

Updates from Vice President Shaca Sweet and other members of the executive cabinet, including Treasurer Marc-Anthony Medina, followed this. Medina presented updates to the SGA budget, a responsibility that the treasurer has to undertake every month. Based on the slides presented, as of Feb. 2, 2023, the current balance stands at $22,857.61. Recent SGA expenses include the Rowdy Prize Cab giveaways, a February 2023 SAC meeting in Austin, SGA Rack Cards and expenses for last week’s UTSA Day at the Capitol.

Executive updates were followed by updates from the executive directors and committee reports.

The Assembly then adjourned for recess, during which Paquet-Durand Ford encouraged senators to engage with the student body.

After the Assembly resumed, SGA senators had the opportunity to vote on amendments that were proposed to the SGA by-laws.

The first amendment proposed was to By-Law II, which deals with SGA elections.

Utsa

The U.S. State Department’s English Language Specialist Program has selected UTSA College of Education and Human Development Associate Professor M. Sidury Christiansen to serve as an English Language Specialist for a threeweek virtual project. The project’s mission is to teach researchers about using technology to present research. Christiansen’s three-week virtual project – which will begin on March 3 – is one of about 240 projects selected by the program.

The UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) has added a new component to its African American Texans gallery: an oral history project called “You Take It From Here.” The project features local high school students documenting their conversations with their parents about growing up Black on the east side of San Antonio. The exhibit “opened this month as part of the institute’s Black History Month observances and will be available for viewing through fall 2024.”

Texas

School officials and local law enforcement in Central Texas are attempting to cut down on youth vaping by offering $100 to any student who anonymously reports a classmate in possession of a THC vape pen. Multiple students in Comal County have been arrested on felony charges, where possession of even one illegal THC vape pen can carry a punishment of up to 10 years in prison.

U.S.

On Friday, Feb. 24, 12 states announced that they are suing the Food and Drug Administration for its strict limits on mifepristone, one of the two drugs used as a medication for abortions.

According to The Washington Post, the legal challenge was filed Thursday in Washington State by attorney generals in Washington and Oregon. Additional states included in the lawsuit comprise of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory warning on Friday to alert the public about a reported increase in the drug-resistant bacteria called Shigella. This particular strain — which can cause a fever, abdominal cramping and bloody diarrhea — is easily transmissible and can even spread its antimicrobial resistance genes to other bacteria in the intestines.

World

On Friday, Feb. 24, world leaders from the G-7 intergovernmental political forum — including the U.S., Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and the U.K. — presented a “united and determined front against Russia,” as reported by U.S. News. The group referenced the one-year mark of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine to let the Russian leader know they would make Russia pay for their actions.

Continued Voting

Texas Rising is also advocating for another piece of legislation, House Bill 644 (HB 644), whose goal is the opposite of HB 2390. HB 644 would require the commissioner’s court of a county to designate a polling location on “the main campus of a general academic teaching institution as defined by Section 51.821, Education Code” with an enrollment of at least 8,000 students.

Jon Taylor, chair of UTSA’s Department of Political Science and Geography, explained that while HB 2390 does not explicitly single out college students, it is a way to target young voters.

“[Isaac], among others in her party, blamed students and student turnout for Democratic gains,” Taylor said. “It’s not like Democrats had many gains in 2020; they didn’t. What’s interesting is that it’s an attempt to suppress potential student voting.”

Overall, young voters tend to favor the Democratic Party. Tufts reports that, according to the Edison Research National Election Pool exit poll, youth voters in the 2022 midterms preferred the Democratic Party to the Republican Party 63% to 35% for House of Representatives seats. Furthermore, the cohort of voters aged 18 to 29 was the only category that strongly favored the Democratic Party over the Republican Party.

“Voter turnout between the ages of 18 to 29 isn’t great to begin with, and by creating yet another impediment, creating another inconvenience, you’re discouraging potentially that cohort of voters from turning out in the next election,” Taylor added.

Given that young voters tend to favor Democratic candidates, Taylor pointed out that HB 2390 does nothing to cement Republican support among young voters; in fact, it does the exact opposite.

“The optics are terrible because [the] Republican Party [is] supposedly trying to attract younger voters,” Taylor said. “You’re sending the exact wrong message by saying, ‘We don’t trust any of you, kids; therefore, we’re going to take the voting stations away [at] universities and colleges.’”

HB 2390 isn’t the first time that the state of Texas has been at the center of controversy when it comes to voting. Of note recently was Senate Bill 1, which restricted the use of mail-in-ballots and early voting in the state, among other things. The state was also in hot water after its 2021 redistricting plan was criticized for discriminating against voters of color.

“To me, it’s a problem because there [have] already been attempts at limiting when voters can do early voting, how long early voting takes place, and now you’re going to try to eliminate yet another venue for voting,” Taylor said. “It’s singling out college students or colleges and universities implying that college students are somehow going to vote one particular party — Democratic primarily — and that this is an impediment to continued Republican control.”

Given the number of bills introduced each legislative session, it is not very likely that this bill will make it out of committee, and even less likely that it will end up on Gov. Abbott’s desk; however, it still sends a strong message to students.

“It signals to me that they don’t want us to vote,” Nieto said. “And I think that can be a really energizing idea for young people, and I think it kind of solidifies the political power that we have. If they don’t want us to vote, obviously, there’s a reason why.”

“I think this blatant act of voter suppression can be really motivating to continue educating young people, encouraging them to vote and doing whatever we can to make sure that we’re still harnessing that political energy,” Nieto added.