The first Government of the Student Body supreme court case in nearly four years has produced a ruling that will benefit all parties involved.

In the case of Reyes-Alamo and Combas v. the Puerto Rican Student Association, Chief Justice John Gish, junior in political science, said there were four points that determined the court’s decision.

The first point made was directed to the PRSA’s constitution and its lacking availability to its members and to the public. Secondly, the court mandated that the election process of officers be adequately stated within the PRSA constitution, a process that was brought into question during the trial itself.

During the supreme court’s one-hour meeting to converse about the final ruling, Gish said all members of the court were on the same page.

“It was clear to us the PRSA constitution needed fixing,” Gish said. “Constitutionally, we want a lot more out of them.”

While the first two actions taken by the court were a direct reflection of the PRSA constitution, the second half of the court’s ruling supported PRSA President Karla Martinez Silverio, senior in pre-journalism and mass communication, and Treasurer Laura Centeno-Diaz, graduate student in curriculum and instruction, as quality officers for the PRSA.

According to documentation prepared by the supreme court, there was not sufficient evidence to prove that actions of the defendants violated the PRSA constitution or that the PRSA budgeted poorly.

In response to the results, Martinez Silverio and Centeno-Diaz pointed out the process was a learning experience and only positive effects will be taken away from it.

“We’re excited that all the work we’ve put into this association is paying off,” Centeno-Diaz said. “Although what happened was a negative situation, we have received much more support from the Puerto Rican community on campus than what we were expecting. Now everybody is inspired to get the Puerto Rican Night organized and to make our organization stronger.”

Even though he was technically in opposition to Martinez Silverio and Centeno-Diaz at the onset of the trial, Jose Reyes-Alamo, graduate student in computer science, said he now believes the PRSA is ready to re-establish itself as a top multicultural student organization.

“We’re away from home – this is Iowa, it’s cold, and we need to stick together,” Reyes-Alamo said. “This is for having fun and making activities and to have a good time. That’s what our organization is about.”

Now that the ruling is final and both sides understand the priorities bestowed upon them, the PRSA is moving forward in planing its events for Puerto Rican Night on Oct. 28.

“The main thing for this event was for us to gather Puerto Ricans together and bring diversity to the community and to teach the Iowa State University community about our culture,” Martinez Silverio said.

The Puerto Rican Night will be held in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union and will feature two guest speakers, which includes Juan Diego Morales, a salsa expert and disc jockey from Puerto Rico.