By Jonathan Smith, Editor in Chief
The Students’ Association Congress overwhelmingly voted to approve a resolution asking the university to open the Bean to students on Sunday night instead of Sunday morning.
Administration Building Rep. Maher Saab introduced the legislation, which passed 38-0 with one abstention, to Congress and has been working on the resolution since Christmas break.
“Many of you have probably had the headaches of trying to get food on Sunday night,” Saab said when presenting the bill during Wednesday’s meeting.
The answer, Saab proposed, is for the Bean to open for Sunday dinners, the only meal of the week the Bean currently is closed, instead of Sunday breakfasts.
Before members of Congress present the resolution to university administrators, Congress wants to receive 1,000 student signatures on petitions supporting the change in Bean hours. Members of Congress received the petitions to have constituents sign two weeks ago and, as of Wednesday, had about 650 signatures.
Saab told Congress that administrators told him that receiving 1,000 signatures -more than 20 percent of the student body-sufficiently would show student support for the change.
Officers encouraged members to get as many signatures as possible before the next meeting.
When enough signatures are received, Saab said he would schedule a meeting with Cory Bourg, director of ARAMARK Food Service, Kevin Watson, chief administrative services officer, and Anthony Williams, The Campus Store manager, to present the resolution and petitions.
Saab said earlier meetings with Bourg encouraged him that the change would be possible.
“[Bourg] received it very well,” Saab said. “He said if it can better server students, he’d look into it.”
Saab said Bourg told him the reason the Bean was closed on Sunday nights now was so that workers would have a guaranteed time off scheduled for each week.
Congress also has begun the process of rewriting its constitution to make it more in line with Congress in its current form.
The constitution was written to govern a Congress much different than the one currently in office. Congress was reorganized three years ago when three administrative officer positions were added, and class presidents and vice presidents were removed in favor of five equal senators.
Amendments have been added to the constitution since then, but executive president Justin Scott said amendments are no longer enough.
“We’re rewriting it because you can’t fix it with amendments anymore,” Scott said.
Officers should have a draft for members to begin looking over before the meeting in two weeks when the new constitution will be discussed. Should Congress approve a new constitution, it will be put before the entire student body for approval in a special election later this semester.
In Wednesday’s meeting, Congress also approved the appointment of Jeremy Pond, junior broadcast journalism major from Wichita Falls, to the Don Morris Center building representative seat. He takes over for Rep. Brittany Groves, who resigned earlier in the semester.
