This year, Emerson students running for class leadership positions will not be the only voting matter on the Student Government Association’s (SGA) election ballot. SGA members and their peers will vote on amendments to the organization’s official constitution. 

The amendments to the current constitution are part of SGA’s attempt to restructure itself in the wake of campus unrest last spring. Nandan Nair, executive president of SGA, has stated that over the summer the Internal Affairs team routinely communicated to “develop one clear vision or idea of how SGA moves forward.” 

The new constitution, written by Chief Justice Georgia Winn and Class of 2026 Representative Angus Abercrombie, includes changes to the preamble, updated policies regarding the chief justice position, and the addition of a director of communications role. Josue Valezquez, who served as an academic senator in SGA last year, was approved as the first director of communications at the beginning of Friday’s meeting.

The constitution’s language, Winn says, is “a good mixture of intentionally vague [language] so [SGA] can have room to grow and adapt.” 

One updated amendment came under fire during the meeting, prompting a discussion between SGA’s advisor Jennifer Naval and the General Assembly members who were present at the meeting. The updated amendment states that SGA members who violate the Code of Community Standards, or witness a violation and fail to report the activity to SEAL, can face sanctions from the college. 

Naval explained, “If [a member of SGA] sees someone destroy campus property, if [SEAL] finds out that you were there and didn’t report it, there will be an issue with that.”

Several SGA members voiced concern over this policy, some arguing that the notion of reporting creates a stigma around utilizing campus resources and has the potential to isolate members of SGA from their peers. 

Acknowledging these concerns, Naval responded, “Don’t look at it as reporting rather than holding [SGA members] accountable to creating a culture of inclusivity.”

Following a unanimous vote to include the constitution on the upcoming ballot, the meeting turned to open forum. Abercrombie used this time to advocate for the Class of 2026 Class Council and their low numbers, encouraging members to talk to students who may be interested. The meeting closed with Executive Vice President Kayla Armbruster reminding General Assembly members about the upcoming Oath Ceremony, taking place on Oct. 18, where new members will take SGA’s oath.