The ASUNM Senate passed a raft of last-minute amendments to the Lawbook, appropriations and appointments but rejected the adoption of a mouse as a student government pet during the semester's last full Senate meeting.
One of the most notable amendments to the Lawbook was Bill 18A, which was introduced by outgoing Sen. Tim Serna. The bill changes the rules regarding the receipt of rollover funds by ASUNM executive agencies, which include the Elections Committee, the Lobby Committee and Student Special Events. In the past, rollover - money left in the agencies' accounts at the end of the semester - had to be approved by only the Finance Committee. The bill requires executive agencies to apply for receipt of rollover funds just like any other group that gets money from ASUNM and requires them to submit a line-item budget of surplus funds one week prior to the second Finance Committee meeting of the fall semester.
"The way the Lawbook is now is that the executive agencies are exempted from the process other groups have to go through to get their balance forward," Serna said.
Another amendment prompted some discussion in the Senate was Bill 22A, which added the words "university policy" to a list of rules regarding student government campaign posting in the Election Code section of the Lawbook.
Sen. Grant Nichols argued that "university policy" was too vague, especially since the clause in the Lawbook already mentions the Pathfinder - a student handbook which contains the student Code of Conduct. He said he had reservations about how the addition to the Lawbook might be used by competing slates when contesting elections.
"Holding the Election Commission responsible for the entire University policy is pretty broad," he said.
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Sen. Sarah Bullard agreed.
"If you want to put something in there that says something specific, like 'Stop stuffing the Daily Lobo,' then we should just put that in there," she said.
Other senators said they supported the amendment because it could end discussion about what rules candidates must adhere to.
"These three little words will add a lot of clarity," Serna said.
The amendment was eventually passed.
Bill 23A would have eliminated two representatives from the Campus Planning Committee while requiring the committee to spearhead the adoption of a pet mouse. The amendment, which was introduced by Sen. Gil Morales, required that the mouse be big enough to fit in a cup while not exceeding the size of a 12-gallon trashcan. The mouse would be fed pureed shrimp and cinnamon mints and punished as needed by the committee. Furthermore, the bill stipulated that the committee seek the counsel of Morales and Student Court Justice Josh Ewing before choosing a name for the mouse.
Several senators said the adoption of a pet would be irresponsible.
"I hate to do this, but I don't think we can afford to have someone mince the Altoids," Serna said.
Nichols agreed.
"I don't see this as something that in good conscience I can support," he said.
After much discussion, the bill was amended to strike the pet mouse clause and passed.
The Associated Students of UNM passed $7,329 worth of appropriations to a variety of student organizations, leaving about $15,000 in the general fund for next semester.
A long list of appointments approved last week by the Presidential Appointment Committee were passed by the Senate.
They include ASUNM Vice President Steve Aguilar as the student government's representative to the Student Fee Review Board, Morales as ASUNM Court Justice, Amanda Zubiate as a representative to the Scholarship, Prizes and Loans Committee and Matthew Kennicott as a student representative to the University Planning Council.
