Minnesota Student Association members whose attendance isn’t up to par could be required to attend a Judicial Committee hearing to discuss their attendance problems, the forum resolved at the first bi-weekly meeting of the quarter Tuesday.
After heated debate among the members, a resolution was passed that allows MSA speaker Ben Bowman to contact select members of MSA for a hearing regarding their eligibility before the Judicial Committee. Twenty-five members were listed as failing to fulfill constitutional duties by not attending meetings.
Bowman cited members not signing in at meetings as a large part of the reason the list contained so many names.
“This is not a list to kick people out,” Bowman said. “It is just a list to discuss why they are on it.”
On a lighter note, MSA President Nikki Kubista reminded fellow members to begin looking at each other for future leadership. With MSA elections coming up in the spring, she noted that it was time to start thinking about elections and leadership options.
“This is the quarter to do your own thing,” Kubista said. “I hope that you look amongst yourselves for leadership.”
The forum also tabled two resolutions.
The first resolution to be tabled dealt with beginning a World Wide Web site for professor evaluations separate from the University-proposed Web site. Patrick Peterson, who wrote the resolution, said an evaluation Web site would benefit both students and professors.
“They will be able to know more about their classes and know what other students say before they enroll,” Peterson said.
But because of a University Web site currently being worked on by the Student Senate, members decided to wait on a decision of the resolution.
The second tabled resolution concerned giving the responsibilities of MSA’s management team to the Executive Committee for the remainder of the year. Proponents argue that, because the management team is a subcommittee, the Executive Committee could fulfill all the duties.
The Spirit of MSA Awards, which are given out once per quarter, were also presented to four members at the meeting. Members Joe Gustafson, Philomena McCullough, Hillary Walters and Richon Xiong were all awarded for their contributions to the association fall quarter.