“Excellence Through Truth and Dedication
Volume L I, Number 20
www.theseahawk.org
February 9,2000
Inside
^his
Issue.
HOHECOHNP
WCTD^y!
Wfts from the heart
Students help meet Red Cross
blood drive goal / 6
Professors from many departments
contribute to Randall exhibit/18
INDEX
■Dampus News....
University
8
pp/Eb
Classifieds
.... 12
1.& E
The Scene....
....16
^orts
.... 19
SGA to consolidate legislature after elections
Constitutionality of ‘one-week’ amendment questioned
by THOMAS M. RUYLE
Ed i tor-In-Ch ief
The Student Government Association (SGA) voted last week to
become a unicameral legislature after elections in March, but vio
lated their own constitution in the process. In a week of constitu
tional changes unlike any seen in recent years, the very process of
SGA legislation was significantly affected.
One-Week Notice
An initial measure to rescind the requirement of each house of the
SGA to consider constitutional amendments for one week was
approved by the Senate last Monday. However, the Senate did not
wait one week to vote on the amendment, as required by the con
stitutional rules in effect at the time. Passage of the amendment,
however, was vital to the passing of the major reform package
approved the next day.
Attorney General Christian Kilgore explained to the Senate that
the nature of the amendment justified the decision to vote on it
early. “It stands to reason that if the entire body was in favor of
changing it, it would be a little silly for us to have to wait a week.”
Kilgore said at Monday’s meeting.
Senator Lee Keenen disagreed. Keenen initiated a debate on the
matter, and voiced his concern about the rules in effect at the time.
“We’re not following the constitution when we are trying to change
it...you have to follow the letter of the law,” he said.
Senator Yancey Gulley maintained that the constitution was being
followed. He said, “We have had prior notice of this. That notice
has been in front of us for a couple of weeks now.” Gulley pointed
out that the entire Senate knew of the proposal for some time,
although it had not been formally introduced in the Senate until
that evening. Vice-President Nathan Powell echoed Gulley’s com
ments. “If you (the Senate) are comfortable voting on this...let’s
go ahead and get cranking on this. We can debate ‘notice’ until the
sun comes up,” he said.
The motion passed by a vast majority. Senator Shane Fernando
voted against it, while Senators Keenen and Gus Fennell abstained.
“My feeling is that the constitution should be interpreted literally.
The SGA Senate votes on a constitutional change last Tues
day. Several amendments, which change the structure and stan-
dards and procedures of the SGA, were passed last week.
I agreed entirely with what was being passed, but I think that we
should abide by the constitution when we’re working to amend it,”
Fernando said. “I was voting against the process in which it was
being conducted.”
After the meeting, Kilgore agreed that the Senate was supposed to
wait one week to vote but defended the decision to vote immedi
ately. “There’s wide latitude for the spirit of the law... if the body is
in favor of the change, let the change promptly occur rather than
force it to be bound by something that they were changing” he said.
Keenen criticized the entire process after Monday’s meeting, saying
that the SGA was not following its own rules. “I abstained from
voting because I believe...it was unconstitutional to vote on an
amendment that hadn’t sat in front of us - formally - for at least a
week,” he said. “’Notice’ is very ambiguous.”
He also expressed concern that the lack of the one-week wait before
amendment voting can open the door to constitutional changes at a
whim. “All they need to do is get so many people together, a
See SGA, page 5
Seahawks net homecoming victory over ODU
by ROSA TYSOR
Staff Writer
“Sometimes you’re the bug and sometimes you’re the wind
shield. Those things happen.” said Old Dominion Univer
sity head coach Jeff Capel, after his team fell to the UNCW
Seahawks in this year’s homecoming basketball game. The
game’s final score was 66-60.
After a two-point lead at the half, UNCW jumped back into
the mix with a 7-0 run in the middle of the second half. The
Seahawks took a 42-34 lead off of a three-pointer by reserve
forward Stewart Hare with 13:34 left on the clock.
ODU rallied, however, cutting the lead to six points on a Skip
per Youngblood layup with 9:23 left on the clock.
Oleg Kojenets was able to take charge, driving the Seahawks
to a comfortable 13-point lead with six straight points, cap
ping the run with two free throws at 4:41.
Kojenets and Blizzard put together back-to-back baskets with
just under two minutes left, and the Seahawks coasted from
there.
i
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James Flint/ The Seahawk
UNCW guard Ramond Perrine takes a shot against
Old Dominion University in last Saturday’s Homecom
ing victory. UNCW beat ODU 66-60.
See HAWKS, page 5