Student Senate President Nick Southall was quick to separate his body from a resolution passed by Graduate Student Senate on Tuesday after being informed by The Post that the body directly opposed a recent stance from Student Senate.
GSS voted to hold itself to the same standard as a public body in a resolution passed Monday night. OU’s Office of Legal Affairs recently deemed Student Senate not a public body after The Post called into question votes of confidence the body takes of its executives behind closed doors.
Before that, senate said it was not a public body, per its constitution, which allows it to take votes behind closed doors.
Southall said GSS’s resolution will not change how his body will act.
“At the moment, even if we were to declare ourselves a public entity, we still have a constitution that we still have to abide by,” Southall said. “I don’t think that we would ever deem ourselves a public body.”
The graduate body has not taken a vote during an executive session this academic year, though the change in the Rules and Procedures will prohibit the body from doing so in the future as well.
“I think that (Student Senate) should take the input of multiple students on campus in different places and try to maneuver their (Rules and Procedures) to be as public as possible,” said Joel Newby, president of GSS.
GSS also passed a resolution that opened by saying “(GSS is) the sole representative body of graduate students on the Athens campus.” Student Senate is tasked with representing all students — including graduate students — on the Athens campus, though it is made up primarily of undergraduates.
Southall said GSS is “not the sole representatives of graduate students” on campus and that his body will continue to represent graduate students.
Newby said some graduate students do not feel represented by Southall — GSS said earlier this semester that it has “no confidence” in Southall — and Student Senate.
“The Graduate Student Senate body is finding it more imperative that graduate students have more of a say over their destiny and the only way that can be put forth is through a solid graduate body,” Newby said.
Vice President for Student Affairs Ryan Lombardi said he has not spoken with Southall or Newby since GSS voted to uphold itself to the standards of a public body Monday.
At Student Senate’s Wednesday meeting, the body will discuss the student trustee appointments, which will take place early next semester, in addition to a change in a state health care bill proposed by Rep. Michael Henne, R-Clayton.
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This article appeared in print under the headline "GSS vote will not affect student senate, Southall says"
