Photo Courtesy: FAM SGA
Despite Monday’s senate meeting being delayed for over an hour, it was efficient. The meeting answered many questions about the procedures for the upcoming elections for the next academic year.
One of the topics at the top of the agenda was the upcoming senate elections.
President Mondelus vetoed a bill that would allow freshman senators or senators who have not completed a full year in the Senate to run for an upper-level leadership position within the Senate.
In response, the senate body voted to have elections next week to introduce new legislation with the potential to override SGA President Mondelus’ veto.
“In the event that a bill is vetoed by the President of the student government the Senate President shall reintroduce the bill to the senate under unfinished business,” Senate President Loryn May explained, reading from the school statute.
There was much back and forth between Senate President Loryn May and Pro-Tempore Jailyn Hankerson-Strappy on whether to let senators vote via Zoom for their next leaders. Pro-Tempore Hankerson-Strappy championed the idea.
“Isn’t it our job to pivot as the senate,” Hankerson-Strappy said. “If you’re allowing Senator Caprice to vote on Zoom, can’t the same grace be given to [other] senators to join Zoom as well.”
The Senate gave Sen. Caprice the option of voting on Zoom because she attends FAMU Law School, located in Orlando.
After receiving massive pushback from her Pro-Tempore, President May motioned for a vote. In a 15 to 5 roll call vote, senators elected to allow themselves the option to vote via Zoom.
There were a few bills introduced during the meeting, one about the campus organization Black Men in Medicine. Travis Copeland, the President of Black Men in Medicine, asked the senate to allocate $1500 to his organization for merchandise.
“It’s just so we can look more uniform as an organization, so when we’re popping out for the first time we just don’t look like black men in white T-shirts,” Copeland said.
Black Men in Medicine, originally founded in 2022, was discontinued due to a lack of funds. In March, however, Sen. Copeland revamped the organization’s operations.
Copeland says he hopes to uphold its purpose of uplifting, molding, and developing leaders who have an interest in medicine.
During her closing remarks, Senate President May warned senators that next week’s agenda will be hefty.
So far, the slate includes senate elections, going over the senate binder, introducing bills, and bills going into second reading.