Newsfeed
Printer-Friendly ModeBoycott voted down
University rules forbid SA's Wal-Mart prohibition
December 12, 2005 —
One meeting later, and the Wal-Mart boycott was no more.
After passing a revised resolution to not make purchases from the company's stores, the SVSU Student Association revisited the resolution Monday and subsequently voted it down during its House meeting.
According to Parliamentarian Nick Madaj, particular parts of the resolution interfered with certain University guidelines that call for the use of objective criteria when actions such as boycotts are taken.
"I was under the idea that we've always worked with autonomy," said Madaj, the resolution's author. "But we're still utilizing University funds."
SA receives its money from a fee assessed to students for every credit hour. The funds are public and therefore under University guidelines because students cannot decide whether to pay the fee or not.
Essentially handcuffed by violating the guidelines, Madaj introduced an amendment to the resolution that would have taken out the clause that made the boycott mandatory. Instead, the resolution would only encourage a boycott of the company.
After several minutes of debate, SA realized what it needed to do when representative Reggie Blockett asked, "Does this have to pass?"
"Yes," Madaj replied, making it clear that regardless of what the House wanted, the boycott would be over by the end of the night.
However, representative Michelle Herbon decided to take another route and moved to have the resolution reconsidered. With the motion, the debate switched from whether or not to approve the amendment to simply voting the resolution down completely.
Herbon's reasoning, one that many agreed with, was that passing the amendment would weaken the resolution to the point that it would be pointless to pass it.
"If the (boycott) clauses aren't in there, this will be a watered-down, toothless resolution," said representative Anderson Bearden, who voted for the resolution initially.
Worried that the resolution would be completely shot down, representative Brittany Griffin moved to vote on the amendment in order to keep some form of opposition to the company in writing.
"We have the right to disagree with Wal-Mart's practices," she reasoned.
The amendment failed, 18-4, and the discussion was narrowed to whether to keep the resolution, regardless of SVSU guidelines, or vote it down.
"If we vote this down, it would make us look like we've done nothing," Blockett said. "This makes us look wishy-washy. I'm not sure what that will say about us as a student government."
Faced with having to comply with the guidelines, the House voted down the resolution 16-5. Among those who voted against the resolution were Madaj and Bearden.The decision was not a popular one among representatives.
"We've taken absolutely no stance," Campus Events chair Beth Schafer said during a roundtable discussion following the vote. "Yes, the University has guidelines, but there needs to be some give and take here."
Before the Wal-Mart discussion, the House debated how to spend the money received from the "Battle of the Valleys III" fund-raiser in October. The money was supposed to go to displaced Hurricane Katrina victims in the Saginaw area, but only four families sent wish lists to the United Way for SA to contribute to. SA President Emily Hammerbacher felt splitting over $13,000 between four families would not be the best action with many other families in the area struggling.
"The spirit of 'Battle of the Valleys' was to stay local," explained Hammerbacher, who added that many other families in the area were indirectly affected by all the support given to the hurricane relief funds.
The resolution stated that SA would give $500 to each of the four displaced families and $500 each to 22 families from the United Way Holiday Wish List.
Some representatives expressed concerns that it would be inappropriate to spend the money elsewhere because contributors may have given more because it was part of the Katrina relief effort.
Regardless, the resolution passed 19-1, with representative Jessica Chandler dissenting.
Chandler was one of two representatives, along with Nick Nowakowski, directed to oversee the distribution.