Outgoing Marquette Student Government President Meghan Ladwig vetoed the proposed alcohol amnesty recommendation last week in her final act as president, it was announced at Thursday night’s MUSG meeting.
The bill was not fundamentally strong enough to pass on to administrators in its current state, Ladwig said at the meeting.
Ladwig, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said she felt there was still confusion about the purpose of the recommendation, and that she expects it to be reworked and proposed again with clearer language.
“The nature of the debate was more assumptions than facts,” Ladwig said, referring to — among other things — assertions that administrators were largely in favor of such a policy.
In general, alcohol amnesty programs shield students who call for help in cases of alcohol overdose from disciplinary action in order to encourage students to take proper steps to help those who may have drank too much.
Drew Halunen, who co-authored the bill when proposed, said he supported Ladwig’s decision. Halunen said he planned on reworking the recommendation with clearer language and with involvement from more MUSG members.
The Senate voted unanimously not to overturn the veto, which would have required a two-thirds vote.
Following this discussion, MUSG voted Halunen to replace Trent Carlson as legislative vice president. Halunen, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, edged fellow sophomore Curtis Taylor by a slim margin after each candidate for the position stated their platforms. Taylor is in the College of Business Administration. Carlson, the incoming executive vice president, is a junior in the College of Business Administration.
The vote, which required a majority of senators, was taken three times. The repeated process of questions, debate and voting lasted nearly two hours.
In the end, Halunen, who had outlined a clear agenda of his plans for next year, was named to the position. Several senators debated on behalf of both candidates. Among the Halunen backers was Toby Baker, a sophomore in the College of Communication.
“I am a product of (Halunen),” Baker said. “It is clear from the debate up to this point that he is the right choice.”
In other news from the night, Joey Ciccone presided over his first meeting as president since being elected March 30. Ciccone, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said he met with the dining advisory board last week.
Ciccone said that with the new Anytime Meal Plan beginning in the fall and the elimination of the Block plans, as announced earlier this school year, the number of guest swipes will now be 15, five more than the previous number.
The university will also add a “coffee-to-go” program, in which everyone who purchases a meal plan will receive a plastic mug they can fill up at select dining halls, Ciccone said.
