Some student senators are upset after they say student money was given to an organization in private.
Student Senate voted Nov. 6 to award $1,500 to the Ethics Debate Team, but the vote was taken via email without the student body’s knowledge.
The Student Government Association Constitution requires meetings to be open to members of the university community. One of the reasons for open meetings is to allow OCU community members to address the governing body, according to the constitution.
Austin Gipson-Black, SGA vice president, called Nov. 4 for the email vote because the Ethics Debate Team submitted the bill after the regular meeting deadline. He wrote that the bill needed to be heard, discussed and voted on via email because of the team’s timeline. A committee amended the bill from $2,071 to $1,500 before the email vote was requested.
Student Senate must receive funding requests by 5 p.m. Sunday the week of a Senate meeting. The bill was submitted late, meaning the Ethics Debate Team’s request for funds wouldn’t be heard until it was too late for them to attend their conference, Gipson-Black said.
Sen. Joe Wathika (International Students), who is also a member of the Ethics Debate Team, submitted the request.
“I will abstain from casting a vote. As I mentioned this is not a reflection of the Ethics Debate Team but instead a mistake on my part. I take full responsibility and extend my apologies to all for the inconvenience,” Wathika wrote in the email chain.
Gipson-Black is not required to notify SGA President Jordan Tarter of virtual meetings or their contents, Tarter said.
“I’ve thought on this a lot,” Tarter said. “If I were VP, I would not have thought to call a meeting this way. However, Austin did his job and brought money to a student organization.”
Tarter said she approved the bill and was happy to see SGA serve a student organization. Transparency was a primary platform in Tarter’s presidential campaign.
“Its lack of being public was definitely not ideal,” Tarter said. “I don’t think it was the most transparent way to go because students couldn’t come.”
Gipson-Black said there is nothing within the constitution, standing rules or bylaws that prohibits the use of virtual meetings, but he does think it was bad for transparency.
“Transparency is one of the most important aspects when it comes to student funds and relationships with administration,” Gipson-Black said. “I messed up on that.”
Gipson-Black also said he’s experienced full virtual meetings during his time in SGA.
“I don’t regret conducting the virtual meeting,” Gipson-Black said. “But, if I could go back, I would’ve CC’d MediaOCU in the email chain.”
Some senators did not agree with the way the virtual meeting was conducted and said it bordered unconstitutionality regarding open meetings.
For a governing body to be transparent, open and accountable to those it serves, all meetings must be public, and all votes must be cast in public, according to the Oklahoma Open Meetings Act.
While OCU is a private university and officials are not required to follow the Oklahoma Open Meetings Act, SGA’s Constitution requires the student body’s presence at meetings because SGA is the governing voice of the student body, are elected by students and have control of student funding.
“My main issue was just the fact that it was only senators and our adviser,” Sen. Trae Trousdale (Greek) said. “The intent was not wrong at all. I completely agree with Vice President Gipson-Black in that the organization needed the funds. I just disagreed with who was included on the email.”
Trousdale also said he wishes Student Publications would’ve been CC’d on the email chain to hold SGA accountable.
“Transparency, in theory, is a great thing to run on. In practice, it gets a little muggy,” Trousdale said. “I do feel that if that’s something that’s promised by the executive of the organization, then the entire organization must follow suit.”
Trousdale voted for the bill.
“We run a dangerous risk of setting a precedent,” he said. “Now we have to be open to any organization that submits a bill late because of this situation.”
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