Amendment to broaden legislation sponsorship passes in special election
Students voted to pass a constitutional amendment in a referendum that will now allow any student to sponsor Student Association legislation.
A total of 1,098 students voted in a special election held April 8-12; 1,039 (95 percent) voted in favor of passing the amendment. The SA constitution requires one-fifth of undergraduate students to vote and two-thirds of students to vote in favor for a constitutional amendment to pass.
Senate had voted at its meeting on March 18 to pass the constitutional amendment, which amends the SA Constitution sponsorship clause to allow any student to sponsor and introduce legislation as long as they have substantially contributed to its text. The amendment was introduced by Nick Jerge, the former SA parliamentarian, and Grace Wickerson, the SA president .
“As a parliamentarian, I do believe that it’s completely rational to remove the requirement that legislation has to be sponsored by at least one voting member of [SA] Senate,” Jerge, a Sid Richardson College sophomore, said at the March 4 SA Senate meeting. “People who do have ideas in mind should be able to put them forward. This lowers the barrier for students to get involved in [SA] Senate.”
At the March 18 meeting, the SA Senate also voted to deem the amendment time-sensitive so that a special election could be held this semester.
Jerge said that the constitutional amendment took effect immediately after its passage. Jerge said that students can review the resources on the SA website or contact SA Parliamentarian Freddy Cavallaro to submit legislation.
More from The Rice Thresher
Rice accepts 13% of record-setting ED applications
Rice accepted 13.2% of Early Decision applicants in its first round of admissions for the class of 2029, said Yvonne Romero da Silva, vice president for enrollment. With 2,970 total applicants, this year saw yet another record-high; a 3% increase from last year’s previous high of 2,886. An additional 100 students gained admission through the Questbridge National College Match program, an uptick from last year’s 77.
Students reject divestment proposals
The student body voted to pass S.REF 01, which asks the Rice Management Company to disclose all of its holdings investments, but rejected the remaining divestment proposals. While every ballot measure gained a majority of votes in favor, the remaining three did not achieve the two-thirds majority required to pass.
Student organizations form coalition to support SA referenda
Four Student Association referenda open for the general student body vote today at noon. The referenda call for disclosure of Rice Management Company holdings and divestment from entities that profit off the Israel-Hamas war. The referenda also ask that Rice release a statement condemning genocide and materially support anti-colonial scholarship. Voting will close Dec. 11 at noon and the results will be published the next day. For the referenda to pass, a two-thirds majority with a 20% student body turnout is needed.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.