A work in progress: ASG works to update school constiution
For the past three weeks, the Associated Student Government (ASG) has been meeting to revise the Associated Student Body’s (ASB) current constitution. The constitution is drafted and enforced by ASG, but applies to the entirety of the school. Discussion has focused around topics such as requirements to be a member of the ASG class, what standards ASG is responsible for upholding, and the structure of elections.
“We have only begun recently … but we are definitely adding on sections and articles to accommodate for changes in our ASG class,” said Justin Kawaguchi, sophomore and ASG member. “One thing that we’ve added is descriptions of each of the ASG commissions so that the student body can fully understand what we do every morning to plan events for the school,” said Kawaguchi.
Every year, ASG changes the constitution in order to keep it up-to-date and relevant. This year, ASG is “focusing on the roles of the ASG members, students, and administration,” to balance out the three branches, according to Steven Owens, sophomore.
In comparison to the constitutions in years previous, it will “follow a similar structure but will be much more updated and easier to navigate,” Kawaguchi said. Sam Klein, sophomore, added that while the new constitution resembles club constitutions, it is longer, and covers a broader spectrum.
Once it is finished, Owens says the constitution will also include changes to rules regarding clubs and interest groups to “help separate what clubs need money and what clubs just like to hang out.” Clubs that host events need an account for funding. However, there are clubs on campus that can be classified as interest groups (such as those based around discussion or eating food) and don’t require accounts. ASG has been focusing specifically on establishing this division.
After discussing an issue, ASG takes into account all their members’ opinions. In order for a final conclusion to be reached regarding the constitution, two-thirds of the ASG class must agree on the motion. Then, it must be ratified by Student Congress to finally be sent to the administration for final approval.
While ASG has been hard at work making these revisions, they predict that completions won’t be finished for at least another month. “We are just getting started and have so much more room for improvement. There are limitless possibilities for changes,” Kawaguchi said.
