Marquette Student Government introduced two new pieces of legislation, including revisions to the impeachment process of senators and a recommendation that the Milwaukee Police Department be equipped with all-terrain vehicles.
Senator Cameron Vrana, a freshman in the College of Business Administration, helped write Amendment 12: Clarification for Impeachment and Removal from Office Procedures. Vrana explained the legislation already existed in the MUSG constitution and the amendment only makes it easier to understand.
Some of the major changes include defining who can impeach senators.
Vrana explained any full-time student who pays their $30 activity fee is considered a member of MUSG, and if passed, the legislation would read that any MUSG member may submit a request of impeachment.
“This opens the door to any student who wants that accountability over their senators,” Vrana said. “Previously, it was confusing whether it had to be a senator, or who could request impeachment.”
Other changes would include giving the senate the ability to remove any officer with a two-thirds vote and recommendation of the president, instead of requiring a majority vote from the selection committee.
Vrana said the College of Arts & Sciences student council came to MUSG with a concern about removing senators that weren’t fulfilling their duties.
“This legislation came about because we were looking in to it,” Vrana said. “It is not intended to specifically address any concerns against senators at this point. The council just didn’t know how to go through the process if they had to.”
MUSG President Kyle Whelton, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, explained that a couple of years ago, senate members from certain student councils were not attending meetings and fulfilling their duties as representatives, prompting questions about possible removal from office.
The second piece of legislation was a recommendation that suggested the acquisition of all-terrain vehicles by the Milwaukee Police Department to help patrol the Marquette neighborhood.
Senator Brian Touhy, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, wrote the recommendation that would approve 10 ATVs to be used by MPD to better serve and protect Marquette and the City of Milwaukee.
Touhy said MUSG should support the recommendation because Marquette University would be included in the patrol area that MPD would cover.
This ATV program is being proposed to bridge the gap between bicycle patrol officers and squad officers. Touhy explained the bicycle officers cannot operate during the winter season, and the all terrain vehicle mounted officers could fill the need.
Both pieces of legislation will be voted on at the next MUSG meeting on Monday, March 2.
