The most intriguing part of this week’s meeting might have been what went unsaid.  After GUSA approved 6 of SCUnity’s 8 recommendations, Speaker Reggie Greer made a subtle announcement in the evening’s proceedings: ex-Vice Speaker Brian Wood has resigned from both his position in GUSA and his Senate seat.

Greer mentioned something about “there were a few issues with access to benefits and being a full-time student.” We’ll bring you the story when we’ve got it.

GUSA first set aside $900 for some rad RAD suits. According to Tyler Stone (COL `09), money for RAD equipment was not initially allocated to DPS. The discussion was quick and the decision was unanimous—crime prevention is a pretty easy sell.

Then came the heavy lifting. GUSA debated SCUnity proposals one by one for a full two and a half hours straight. Actually, there was one 90-second recess to discuss what to do after the vote count on the first proposal was short two Senators. The solution was to scrap the usual raise-your-hand vote for a role-call vote, which caused a minor, bylaw-obsession-induced panic.

But my personal highlight reel of last night’s meeting would have to include Tyler Stone’s Ode to Diversity but only in Theory, which he published as an op-ed in The Hoya. Didn’t see it? Don’t worry; he read the whole thing out loud at the start of the debate to “focus our minds.”

The speech received a chilly response from Senators of racial minorities. Johnny Solis (SFS `11) directly addressed Stone after he spoke, saying “It kind of feels awkward on this side of the room after that spiel that you gave.” (With a couple exceptions, most of the non-Caucasian Senators were sitting in the front on the left.)

There were a few more tense moments, especially towards the beginning of the debate, but in the end most proposals were surprisingly easy to pass. Josh Mogil (SFS `11) called the night “a testament to the power of Georgetown’s democracy.” Maybe so. Although some Senators wished GUSA had passed all the recommendations,  six out of eight isn’t half bad.

4 Responses to “GUSA Meeting Rundown: SCUnity scuffle and RAD packages”
  1. [...] on Vice Speaker Brian Wood’s (COL ‘09) unexpected decision to resign from GUSA that we reported on last [...]

  2. [...] executive briefing, although he’d already written an op-ed in the Hoya about it. (Noticing a trend)? In Pat’s opinion, SCU is still technically a part of GUSA, but then again, when is [...]

  3. [...] as we reported in February, DPS lacked the $900 necessary for the training suits they would need for the RAD [...]

  4. [...] a tradition for Mogil, he asked Greer for a chance to give a little monologue to the Senate, Tyler Stone (COL ‘09)-style, before the common Senators could discuss the election. There was a note of bitterness and defeat in [...]

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