EC votes to add position, remove depth requirement

USUSA Executive Council passed three articles of legislation Tuesday.

Student Alumni Association position on EC

The USUSA Executive Council voted 9-1 to add the position of student alumni association president to the council under the title of USUSA student alumni vice president. A special election will be held before the end of the school year for the student body to vote if they want the change.

Should the student body support it, the position of student alumni vice president will be voted on by the student body in spring of 2016 for the 2016-17 school year. The position, which currently is appointed, will also have different responsibilities and allowances as a part of the EC.

One of the primary reasons for the change is to bring the SAA and USUSA together in the planning of activities and traditions. Currently traditions at USU are split, with the SAA running traditions such as True Aggie Night and Miss USU while USUSA puts on events such as the Robins Awards and Mr. USU.

“I think what we want to do is to move away from ‘these are an organization’s traditions’ to ‘these are Utah State’s tradition,’” said Douglas Fiefia, USUSA president.

Nevertheless, there are concerns about there not being a specific outline defining the responsibilities for the new position.

“I disagree with voting on adding a position that does not have a written charter, a finalized plan of action with the advisors, the two organizations collaboration plan and the plan for the scholarship and compensation differences,” said Programming Vice President Zoe Fairbairn in an email to The Utah Statesman.

Fairbairn was the only executive council member to vote against the legislation.

Fairbairn said while she does like the addition of the position, she voted against it because all of the details were not clear yet.

“I have worked with the Programming office of USUSA for the past four years with a heavy focus on Traditions,” she wrote. “Not knowing what will happen to the traditions aspect of both SAA and USUSA led to my vote. I do believe that the addition of the SAA President to EC will aid with collaboration, and I have the utmost faith that the organizations will come to a conclusion that will work out.”

Dave Clark, associate vice president of the alumni association and Oakman Kennedy, recently appointed 2015-16 SAA president, came to the meeting to express their support of the addition.

Jamison Olsen, the 2013-14 SAA president, also expressed his concerns about keeping SAA unique from USUSA but did not say he was against the change.

Britnee Bromley, current SAA president, wrote in an email to The Utah Statesman that she supports the idea.

“I believe that this change has the potential to benefit both organizations and assist in fulfilling the goals and mission of each,” she wrote. “The mission of the Student Alumni Association is to create lifelong Aggies, to get students thinking about how they can — and should — remain involved in the university long after graduation.”

But Bromley said she’s concerned about the position being elected by the student body instead of appointed.

“This knowledge and skill-set is something that I feel must be learned over time while serving in lower-level positions, while working your way up to serving in a presidential capacity,” she wrote. “Putting that position in the hands of somebody who may have just won the election due to a catchy campaign slogan definitely makes me a little uneasy.”

Fiefia said that this addition will help the students and both organizations.

“Students will now know about opportunities of how to network with alumni,” he said.

Depth Course requirement removal

The executive council also unanimously voted to remove the completion of depth courses as a requirement to graduate as it acts as a “graduation barrier.” Council members felt the requirement doesn’t serve its original purpose for students to gain depth in a field.

Of the spring 2014 graduating class, 38 percent of students took Arts Symposium to fulfill the depth humanities and creative arts credit, 40 percent took Natural Disasters to fulfill the depth physical science credit and 50 percent of students took Family Finance to fulfill depth social science credit.

“I would rather take a course that I am interested in and that I would put effort into rather than just checking a box,” Fiefia said.

The proposal will now go to the Staters Council, which consists of USU President Stan Albrecht, the provosts, the vice presidents and the executive council. College deans will also be invited to weigh in on the academic issue.

“This really convenes any time there is a need for students to voice a certain opinion about a policy or a change,” Fiefia said. “Usually when a resolution is passed that needs further deliberation and counsel, it goes to Staters Council.”

Assisting with funding Mental Health Week

The executive council also voted to give $1,000 in funding for Mental Health Week. The initial request was to fund the remaining amount, which exceeded $2,000, but the council felt funding for the week would be adequate without the remainder paid by USUSA.

— dahdahjm@gmail.com