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The Undergraduate Council passed three bills at its second meeting of the year on Tuesday after it failed to meet quorum when debate on legislation began an hour and a half after roll call, causing a delay.
Only 34 representatives attended the meeting — some for just a portion — with the assembly barely squeezing past its 28-member quorum at points. The two-hour-long meeting had six pieces of legislation on the agenda, including club grants, procedural reform, and financial support for transgender students.
Also on the docket was a bill to officially return the Council’s weekly meetings to Sunday after they had been moved to Tuesday by UC President Michael Y. Cheng ’22. Cheng claims the move was made to accommodate a faculty mediator but has received extensive criticism from UC members who said the new time presented a logistical challenge.
At the outset of the meeting, Cheng announced that he would shift the schedule back to the regular Sunday time.
The meeting began with an address from the mediator, Assistant Dean of Student Engagement Kate T. Colleran. Colleran reiterated her role in the debate and implored council members to make use of parliamentary procedure.
Lowell House Representative LyLena D. Estabine ’24 then took to the floor to provide an update on the Citizens’ Assembly. The assembly, proposed by Cheng during his presidential campaign, is tasked with drafting a constitution to fundamentally restructure the student government — a prospect that has been met with skepticism by some UC members. The body, which is composed of randomly selected students and UC members, began meeting earlier this year.
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After the presentation, Cheng and Estabine, a member of the Citizens’ Assembly, took questions from other UC members, who expressed concern about a perceived lack of transparency in the process. Cheng said that the group convened privately to allow free discussion among members.
“We didn't want people to feel like they couldn't express a view that might be offensive — that might be unpopular — and then get called out for that,” Cheng said.
“They are planning to start hosting public events very soon, really in the next few weeks,” Estabine added.
The council also briefly discussed the status of their efforts to preserve Shopping Week, but as debate stretched on, some members of the Council became anxious that other businesses would not have time to be considered.
UC Finance Committee Chair Daniella M. Berrospi urged Cheng to begin deliberation on a bill to fund club grants but was informed that quorum had not yet been reached.
After additional UC members joined the meeting via Zoom, the Council reached quorum and passed three pieces of legislation, including two grant funding bills totaling $10,339.83.
Corrections: February 23, 2022
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the Undergraduate Council passed just two bills at its Tuesday meeting. In fact, it passed three pieces of legislation.
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the Undergraduate Council failed to reach a quorum until an hour and a half into its Tuesday meeting. In fact, it failed to maintain a quorum throughout the meeting after initially starting with one, subsequently falling below the threshold, and then regaining a quorum when members rejoined.
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated 29 Undergraduate Council members attended Tuesday’s meeting. In fact, 34 members attended the meeting, including five who were only present for portions of the assembly.
—Staff writer Mert Geyiktepe can be reached at mert.geyiktepe@thecrimson.com.
—Staff writer J. Sellers Hill can be reached at sellers.hill@thecrimson.com.
