Loyola’s SGA is expanding its legislative branch by forming a House of Representatives to allow student organizations to have a more direct influence on SGA.
“Our main theme this year is to put student organizations first. Last year each officer was in contact with two to three organizations,” College of Business senator LeeAnn Moss, international business sophomore, said.
“This process is better because it is more direct.”
Now, there is not a direct representation between SGA and its constituencies. There are ony a few senators representing each college.
Chief of Staff Cade Cypriano, political science junior, thinks having a House of Representatives would help SGA communicate better with other student organizations.
“I surveyed how the student governments are run at six private universities that were about the same size as Loyola,” Cypriano said.
“I applied the attributes and shortcomings to find an ideal form for expanding our legislative branch.”
Cypriano said the House of Representatives should stimulate inter-organizational cooperation. Also, it should foster more responsible stewardship of student funds.
“When Cade proposed the idea of implementing a House of Representatives everything seemed to click,” SGA president Elliot Sanchez, philosophy senior, said.
The resolution for the House of Representatives will pass through the Senate in January as a formality, and meetings are slated to begin in February.
SGA wants to get the House’s framework in place and make changes from there.
One representative from every chartered student organization on campus will attend the monthly meetings. The House of Representatives will elect a Speaker of the House. Attendance at the monthly meetings will be tied to chartering and allocations.
“Student organizations will be playing an active role,” Moss said.
“This will allow SGA to work for them and with them.”
The House of Representatives will serve as an advisory body for the executive and legislative branches; it will set the agenda for the Senate.
The power and authority for this legislative body is modeled after the House of Lords, which is part of the United Kingdom’s Parliament.
Lee Hudson can be reached at [email protected].
