Senate Weekly Beat: Voting Systems, AAA Fund Request and ASCC Constitution

ASCMC Senate held its last meeting before Thanksgiving break on Monday, November 21st from 9 to 10 pm amongst a scattered crowd in the Freeberg Forum. Before launching into committee updates, Ryan Chakmak ’19 revealed that he was finalizing the online voting process that could eliminate in-person voting all together. This would be a welcome addition to the current, often dysfunctional process that ‘counting hands-raised’ voting entails. Vice President Felipe Afanador ’18 seemed excited at the possibility of online voting. “This new system creates a private channel for everyone who is an active senator;” he said, “we can now vote through that channel and make sure that every involved senator is updated.”

After brief committee updates from both the Consortium Committee and the Environmental Affairs Committee, and the AAA Committee presented a fund proposal. Alternatives Anonymous, a club aimed at bringing free, live music performances to students across the 5Cs, requested $2000 to help cover their four upcoming planned performances. The AAA Committee recommended ASCMC cover $1600 of the cost, and the motion was passed.

Conversation immediately increased when Vice President Afanador brought up the next item on the agenda: the newly revised ASCC (Associated Students of the Claremont Consortium) Constitution. Despite lengthy discussions, confusion still remains in the Senate over the purpose and function of the Constitution. At one point, Chandler Koon ’19 asked, “What can this joint body even do?”

Quick to respond, President Pro Tempore Thomas Schalke ’18 clarified that while the 5C body constitution cannot enable the institutions to enact policy, the constitution does help in organizing joint conversation and interaction between administrations and the colleges.

Connor Bloom ’19 remarked, “I’m curious to know why only the chair can set the agenda under the proposed Constitution?” President Nicky Blumm ’18 explained that, like ASCMC Senate, an open forum is required, so anyone can bring up topics of interest afterwards, if they aren’t covered in the chair’s meeting agenda.

After further discussion over the proposed Constitution the meeting turned to open forum. Dina Rosin ’20, the freshman 5C representative, brought up her interaction with the Pitzer freshman class President, where they considered hate-speech and the post-election campus climate.

An important point to note about the 11th Senate meeting of the semester was the incredibly low female turnout. Of the approximately 30 students present only 8 were women, and only 4 spoke throughout the night.

The meeting concluded with the Vice President Afanador’s assurance of “treats and probably some hot chocolate” at the next and final Senate meeting of the semester on December 5th.