At the first SGA meeting of the year, senators confirmed nominations for its subcommittee chairs and the Student Judiciary Review Board (SJRB).
The SJRB is chaired by SGA Vice President Oba Oseghali and comprised of four non-SGA members and an SGA senator from each class. Four SGA senators will be appointed to the SJRB after the fall SGA election and each class caucus.
The board acts as the judicial branch of SGA. It reviews all legislation and resolutions before reaching the SGA Senate, and it addresses constitutional issues. The SJRB also settles disputes within clubs and student organizations at Suffolk.
Below are the 2019-2020 SGA sub committee chair members and SJRB members.
Public Relations Committee- Bryanna Crowley, Class of 2020 senator and Marissa Kearney, Class of 2022 senator
Housing Committee- Abhy Patel, Class of 2022 senator
Student Affairs Committee- Dan Redznak, Class of 2020 senator
Diversity and Inclusion Committee- Lukas Phipps, Commuter Students Senator at-Large
The SJRB non-SGA representatives- Steven Rossi, Giovanna Crespo, Daniel Offor-Asamoah and Venice Morris.
At SGA’s second meeting on Sept. 19, members of the Suffolk University Police Department answered general questions from the Senate.
Senator at-Large Fehr Almehdar asked the senate to help him address film equipment vending policies in the communications and journalism department that he called unfair.
“[The department] has a rule where if you are late by even one minute three times, it doesn’t matter if its excused or not, you are banned completely, that’s it for the entirety of your academic career,” Almehdar said. “That disrupts all of the students progress throughout the year.”
Almehdar said students who are banned from using equipment must invest in their own equipment, which “could cost upwards of $10,000.”
He proposed that the ban should be changed to only last a certain amount of time, such as for six months, and asked the Senate to help him address the issue this year.
While Class of 2022 Senator Megan Dyer said during open forum that she would help Almehdar, Kostas Loukos, a former Class of 2021 senator, said he didn’t think the issue was “worth causing a resolution.”
“With all due respect Fehr, just bring the camera back early…” Loukos said. “If it’s really that detrimental to your academic career, you should be taking the measures to bring it back early.”
When a senator motioned to end the meeting, Almehdar, who had his hand raised to respond to Loukos, asked that senators oppose the vote to allow him to speak. Loukos reminded him that there was no talking allowed during votes.
Several senators voted opposed, but not enough to continue the meeting. Almehdar began speaking again once the meeting had been adjourned, and said department changes due dates of equipment unexpectedly.
