At Thursday night’s SGA Senate meeting, Executive President Darien Flowers encouraged the senators better understand Amendment One, a proposed change to the North Carolina state constitution that would ban legal recognition of all unmarried couples and define marriage as a strictly heterosexual union. Flowers acknowledged the importance of the issue and briefly described a piece of pending legislation outlining the SGA’s stance against the amendment.
“I’d really like you all to become informed about the amendment,” he said. “There is a precedent for us to discuss things that are external or politically motivated, and while they don’t happen very often, we are in no position to censor anything.”
In other news, Allie Glenn was appointed representative of the School of Education in a 35-0 vote.
A bill to amend the First-Year Student Elections packet was also passed 35-0. Dates will be updated accordingly, and the number of first-year positions in the senate will be reduced from 5 to 3. Online campaigning will now be allowed prior to Aug. 30, when the elections packet is due, but print campaigning will still be prohibited before that time.
Jana Lynn Patterson, assistant vice president of student life and SGA adviser, closed the discussion by reminding the senators to be mindful of prospective students attending orientation this weekend.
“This is a weekend for students who are on the fence about coming to Elon, and we want you to put your best foot forward,” she said. “We really want you to make them feel welcome.”