Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

SGA slow to react to controversial legislation

As UTSA continues to strive for national recognition, some campus entities remain behind the curve, namely the Student Government Association (SGA).

In this past week’s meeting, SGA made it clear that they intended to discuss the issue of guns on campus – then they didn’t.

When the issue of the gun legislation finally came up in the meeting, almost two hours in, a good 10 to 15 minutes was spent, not on the actual issue, but on how to word the issue in a way that would meet the requirements of Robert’s Rules of Order – the almost universal basis of parliamentary procedure.

The officers attempted to word Chairman John Boone’s proposal to discuss the issue of “concealed carry of handguns on campus,” eventually giving up, the issue still untouched.

The complete incompetence of the entire SGA, including President Derek Trimm and Vice President Nicole Muñoz, is frankly disturbing.

As the third largest campus in the UT System, we should be at the cutting edge in all areas, both academic and extracurricular.

When the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, with a student body of less than four thousand, is faster to react when controversial legislation hits the Senate floor, there is a problem.

Even if an SGA official came into their position not knowing everything about proper parliamentary procedure, the meeting took place in the second to last week of the term. This means that, in an entire year in office, they have failed to gain even a basic understanding of what it takes to run a student government.

Yes, we are college students. We are all here to learn. However, as the official representatives of the student body, with almost fifty thousand dollars of our tuition going towards their budget, SGA should be held responsible for their actions.

More to Discover