- DSG changed their constitution to clarify inflation calculations of the Student Activities Fee.
- The senate set the Spring election rules and procedures.
- The SOFC approved $6,100 for the Springternational festival.
Duke Student Government passed two constitutional amendments which will face referenda during the Spring election cycle.
In a meeting Wednesday the DSG Senate approved two changes to their constitution in order to bring it in line with the Student Organization Funding Committee bylaws. These amendments would affect how the Student Activities Fee is adjusted for inflation each year as well as how the SOFC chair is elected. In accordance with the DSG constitution, the amendments will be put to a vote on the Young Trustee ballot next week.
The first amendment ensures the source of the inflation rate used to calculate the yearly increase in the Student Activities Fee is the same in both the DSG Constitution and the SOFC bylaws. If the amendment passes, both will use the Consumer Price Index published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. The fee usually rises by the same amount as the inflation rate. This year, the fee was raised from $126.50 to $128.65, which matches the current rate of inflation at 1.7 percent.
The second amendment ensures that the DSG Constitution and the SOFC bylaws specify the same procedure for electing the SOFC chair. The DSG Constitution currently states that the SOFC chair is elected by the Senate, while the SOFC bylaws establish that the SOFC chair is elected by the student body. The amendment would change the DSG Constitution to state that the student body elects the SOFC chair.
The two amendments will be on the ballot for the upcoming election, which will occur on April 10, 2015.
In addition to the two amendments, DSG also passed the election rules and procedures for the Spring election, which establish times, dates, candidate guidelines for budget reimbursements and campaign regulations.
In other business:
The DSG Attorney General, senior Max Fischer-Zernin, and DSG Director of Communications, junior Victoria Sabater, were sworn into office. Fischer-Zernin replaces junior Joseph Denton, who resigned.
SOFC approved $6,100 in funding for the International Association for their annual Springternational festival, which celebrates international cultures. The funding covers logistics and infrastructure costs.
In addition, SOFC approved the creation of the Duke Challah for Hunger student group, which fundraises for the Durham community by making and selling challah bread.
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that the two amendments would appear on the student government election ballot in April. They will appear on the Young Trustee ballot next week. The Chronicle regrets the error.
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