The SGA decided upon a plan of action to comply with the Student Court’s ruling concerning Summer 606 funding at their meeting Tuesday.
The SGA was ordered last semester to make 606 guidelines apply to Summer 606 when the SGA was found guilty of misallocating funds.
A special committee was formed weeks ago to find a solution to the issue. It included Diana Bowers, Jason Coffey, Brandi Garner, Tiffany Porter, Lacie Tullock, Lacey Vinson and Chris Ziegler.
The special committee brought three proposals before the Senate that they felt would resolve the issue.
First, the Senate passed a bill saying that the new Senators and administration would assume office when elected, however, they would not be sworn in so that the old Senate and administration could perform their duties at the last Senate meeting on the Tuesday of dead week.
Secondly, there will be an awards banquet for the old Senate and also a recognition service honoring the newly elected senators. This bill also adds a fourth 606 funding session to the end of this semester. This bill was passed.
Third, the dates of the 606 funding sessions will be changed as to allow for Summer 606 funding. Normally, the three funding sessions in the spring semester are held before Spring Break.
This bill spreads the sessions out over the course of the semester so that there will be a funding session after Spring Break. The Senate voted to pass this bill also.
The ETSU Gospel Ensemble’s 606 application once again caused tempers to flare at the meeting.
At last week’s meeting, the Ensemble had applied for 606 funding for a trip to attend a competition. However, the group had already received funding from the Student Allocations Activity Committee, and SAAC and 606 guidelines state that groups cannot be eligible for both unless in special circumstances.
The Senate decided that the group did not meet any special circumstances and no funding was given.
This was one of two Senate decisions that President Jennifer Berry vetoed. She vetoed the decision to give the Ensemble zero funding.
The Senate then had the option to decide another course of action concerning the application. Sen. Brian McCormack strongly supported giving the group funding. “There is not a budget crisis in the 606 fund,” he said.
The Senate voted against giving Gospel Ensemble funding. However, they could not give the group money since they had voted last week that there were no special circumstances.
“As the administrator to the 606 fund, we would prefer to give the money rather track down loans,” said Dr. Sally Lee, SGA advisor.
They also voted against giving the group a loan that they would later have to pay back. They then tried to reconsider both the loan and also their decision from last week, but said no to both.
Attorney General Jarrod Suits announced to the Senate that they had basically talked the issue to death.
Only a certain amount of time can be allotted to an issue, and the Senate had gone well over that.
“I don’t know how many of you know what a filibuster is, but that’s essentially what you did,” Suits said.
Since they were deadlocked, the issue cannot be revisited.
“As a member of the SGA, I highly apologize to the Gospel Ensemble for the inability of the SGA to come to a definite conclusion regarding their funding application,” Suits said.
Berry also vetoed the vote to give Kappa Omicron Nu $200 to buy a picnic table for Hutcheson Hall because there are picnic tables already accessible to the building.

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