A three-hour Student Government
Association (SGA) meeting saw the approval of a resolution
that denounces certain sections of the U.S. Patriot Act.
The Patriot Act, approved by U.S. Congress in October 2001,
gives greater flexibility to the government’s ability
to monitor citizens and visitors in the country.
The SGA resolution supports an upcoming Boone Town Council
vote that also condemns the Patriot Act.
The bill was co-authored by senators H. Dustin Bayard, Evan
N. Moody, Miriam N. Makhyoun, Amanda G. Zeddy and Judd Watkins.
Debate on the resolution lasted an hour and a half.
“I was glad to see some support, especially from the
liberals and the conservatives,” Bayard said.
Some senators questioned the bill’s relevancy to issues
that affect students.
Senator Christian Grevy, who said he was one of the leading
people against the resolution, said SGA should be focusing
on issues such as parking and tuition.
“What we passed Tuesday night does nothing,”
Grevy said. “Just because it’s a student issue
doesn’t mean SGA needs to go over it.”
Grevy added that the point of SGA was to increase the welfare
of students, not debate political issues.
“I didn’t think it was an issue we needed to
deal with,” newly appointed SGA secretary Michael E.C.
Schroeder said. “We were spending a lot of time on
the issue, and it didn’t seem like something SGA should
be doing.”
Bayard said the bill has relevance because some international
students may be denied student visas to come into the country,
or they may be too scared to apply.
“We may be losing [those] students,” Bayard said.
“Too many people fail to see the connection that we
are students, but we are also United States citizens.”
Vice Chancellor for Student Development Gregory S. Blimling
had supported the senators in making and writing the bill.
A vote was taken early in the debate to change a phrase in
the resolution from “student body” to “undergraduate
student body.” The student senate spent an hour and
a half debating the bill and whether amendments should be
made to the wording.
Off-campus senator Nathan A. Winkler motioned that the phrase
“student body” be changed to “undergraduate
student body,” as graduate students are not represented
by SGA.
Some senator’s opinions were influenced by personal
experiences they had with the Patriot Act.
Moody said he was put on the Department of Homeland Security’s
high-risk list after he purchased the controversial novel
“The Turner Diaries” off the Internet. The novel
is said to have inspired the Oklahoma City bombing.
“I bought the novel with the intention of reading it,
not to blow up buildings,” Moody said.
Another resolution that calls for amending Article IX of
the SGA Constitution by easing requirements for non-senators
to present legislation was tabled until tonight’s meeting.
One of the resolution’s authors was not in a state
to present and, if necessary, defend the bill, Bayard said.
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