The OC Blog Back Issues Our Mission Contact Us Masthead
Sudsy Wants You to Join the Oregon Commentator
 

Shocker: Senators violate Public Meetings Law

Ol’ Dirty Editor-in-Chief Laura Powers has filed three grievances against the Senate Vice President Patrick Boye, Sen. Billy Hatch and the remainder of the Senate over-realized fund committee for deliberately violating Oregon’s Public Meeting Law.

The Student Senate over-realized committee met last night in what members said was an unofficial meeting after no public notice of the meeting was provided 24 hours in advance, a violation of Oregon Public Meetings Law.

A notice of the meeting was e-mailed at 2:06 p.m. The meeting began at 7 p.m.

… Powers told the committee it would not be in compliance with the law and the meeting should be postponed. Senate Vice President Patrick Boye said the meeting would continue in an informal capacity.

The committee discussed the proposals for over-realized fund projects, did not take minutes, did not follow Robert’s Rules of Order and used a voting system of thumbs up, thumbs down, and sideways thumbs, Powers said. It is unknown if they took a recess to play Heads Up Seven up.

Senate President Athanasios Papailiou sent out public notice last night at 7:01:39 p.m. that the Senate over-realized committee will be having a meeting today at 7:00pm in Room 175 of the Law School – in order to approve the proposal that was created last night – and that the Senate meeting has been moved to 7:20 p.m. I hate to be a stickler, but the notice went out 23 hours, 58 minutes and 21 seconds before the meeting, making it also invalid.

Powers said she requested the senators be penalized one month’s worth of stipends.

  1. […] the ASUO Senate has not taken to heart. Editor-in-Chief of the ODE Laura Powers has already filed a spat of grievances, against the Senate for violating Oregon Public Meeting Law, and today she added another to the […]

  2. Chris Holman says:

    First come, first-served seems like a bad policy.

    Surprising how they managed to neglect their future need (15K). The PFC seems to have a decent accountant (or had)…

    Timothy: I have chuckled in the past when ASUO types get adamant about representing all students, etc. I mean, ok yeah, but really…how many votes are cast? Do they even get 1/4 of the student population to vote? I know that this is the way elections work (not everyone votes) but the whole mandate ideology seems to be strange to me.

    It would be fun to try and get that alternative govt. going…hehehe

  3. Ford says:

    They blew through three quarters of a million dollars last night in 5 hours – and were surprised when they ran out of money, because (gah gah gah) there were still more things to spend it on!! It was in true senate form: the majority of the senators weren’t even aware that they shouldn’t spend the account down to zero, but needed $15K through the end of the school year.

    And the “Overrealized Subcommittee” is the most worthless thing ever: their decision mechanism for the money was “first come, first served!” What are we paying these people for?

  4. Gsim says:

    A bloodless coup? That’d be all fine and dandy, but violent revolution seems more exciting.

  5. Timothy says:

    Technically, if you can secure a higher proportion of student votes in an election than the ASUO votes, you can institute a different student government. HATE from 2001 outlined this plan.

  6. Chris Holman says:

    Does more get done, more effectively, when Robert’s Rules of Boredom are in place?

    I don’t mind the 24hr. rule, taking minutes being required, etc. However, it seems like a lot of the time ‘the rules’ just make the process/progress a bit anemic.

    Can’t someone else make the rules?

  7. Niedermeyer says:

    I’m willing to bet money that last years entire “let’s give away a cool million with no rules at all” overrealized fiasco violated OPM Law and probably Oregon Administrative Rules as well. Thanks to Laura for calling this out.

    Overrealized funds are illegally appropriated and illegally spent. Period. If someone doesn’t take steps to return this money to students, I’d say the chances of lawsuits and/or intervention from Salem are pretty good.

    This is probably issue number one for the ASUO.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.