SAC to consider rule changes

The two amendments would reduce the size of the body's quorum. Members of the Student Activities Council proposed two constitutional amendments designed to reduce the size of the body's quorum, and then squabbled over funds during the rest of Thursday night's monthly meeting. The Executive Committee, led by SAC chairperson and Wharton senior Steve Schorr, announced changes to the group that Schorr said would enable SAC to "run more smoothly." The first of the proposed amendments would define a voting SAC member as any representative of a student group who is present at the monthly meeting. The constitution currently defines a voting member only as a SAC representative, and requires a quorum of two-thirds of the voting members before the body can act officially. The change would effectively mean the group would always meet quorum. But the second amendment would require a supermajority of two-thirds of voting members -- that is, those present, if the first amendment wins approval -- to pass proposals. Although some members of SAC disagreed with the amendments, saying it was wrong "to make things easy and not go by the book," debate will continue at next month's meeting when a vote will take place. Heated argument also arose about "the point of coming to SAC meetings" if a voting member will only be determined by attendance. Schorr quieted the discussion by reminding members that if a student misses two meetings, the group he represents looses SAC recognition. Regaining lost recognition is accompanied by an automatic 10 percent budget cut. SAC members also voted to give $11,930 in grants and $2,189 in loans to student organizations requesting funds. These added funds came after appeals from Engineer junior and Phi Sigma Pi honor fraternity President Marc Rosenstock and College senior and Honda Latina Treasurer Sandy Ching. SAC originally decided not to give the fraternity any of its $695 request, because the Executive Committee agreed that the 3.0 G.P.A. admission requirement made the group exclusive. Since not every student of the University had the opportunity to join Phi Sigma Pi, the SAC board said it should not receive funding. SAC members, however, voted to grant the group $200 to sponsor an open presentation by Microbiology Professor Helen Davies. The SAC Executive Committee also recommended that Honda Latina, a new Latin dance troop, receive $1,525 of the $2,751 its members had requested. Ching said the group needed the large amount of funds for dance lessons. As a new troop, Ching said the group's members will require additional help before their first March performance. SAC members voted to "meet in the middle" and grant the group an additional $475. The meeting ended fairly quickly due to requests to only hear some of the objections to the Executive Committee's recommended grants and loans. Nominations and Election Committee Chairperson and Engineering junior Ben Goldberger was one of the few members who opposed the request, saying the procedure took "only a few hours" of members' time each month. The main body of SAC also recognized the Choral Society/Choir, UG Economics Society, College Republicans, the Penn Baroque Ensemble, ESAC and the Wharton Latino UG Association as new SAC members. Schorr told members that the Executive Committee had adopted a new policy of examining the expenses of one organization chosen at random every week. SAC will hold elections in February for four available positions on its executive board.