A Government of the Student Body constitutional convention was scheduled to be held last night in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union, but due to a shortage of convention delegates, those present held a discussion concerning the GSB constitution instead.

There are a total of 21 convention delegates. Only eight delegates showed for the meeting which needed at least 11 delegates present to hold a convention. Those present agreed to hold the next convention immediately following the first GSB Senate meeting of next semester, Jan. 15, 1997.

The delegates present discussed several possible changes for a new constitution that would change how GSB does business. One such topic of discussion was the current inactivity of the GSB Supreme Court.

Doug Miller, a delegate representing the Richardson Court Association, said he felt the lack of an active Supreme Court hinders the student government and could possibly allow the president of the student body to take over the entire student government unchecked.

The GSB Supreme Court acts as a judicial check on the legislative and executive branches of student government.

Students can bring disputes between students or disputes between students and student organizations, including GSB, to the court to be heard.

“It’s an ineffective branch of government,” said Trish Sandahl, a delegate representing the graduate senate. She said nobody respects the constitution anymore and there is no one to overlook and enforce violations of the constitution due to the lack of a Supreme Court.

As an example, she cited a meeting last year when acting Student Body President Dan Mangan said it did not matter what the constitution states because he can choose how he wishes to interpret it.

Miller said the problem is exacerbated because students do not realize they can take cases to the court, therefore creating a lack of court cases. A lack of court cases to check the actions of the student government weakens the checks and balances system and creates the need for having a constitutional convention in the first place.

“My idea of a judicial branch allows the constitution to adapt and turn over,” he said.

Jamey Hansen, chairman of the constitutional convention, said the problem is with GSB not following the rules of its constitution. An active Supreme Court, he said, would solve such problems.

As a recent example, he cited a seating bill for four of GSB President Adam Gold’s cabinet members at Wednesday’s GSB meeting, that was passed although it was not brought before the senate, which is the regular procedure. All seating bills must be on the GSB agenda two days prior to the meeting.

“We didn’t see that bill until we sat down that night,” Hansen said. In addition, only two of the four cabinet members were at the meeting. “We have a right to know who they are before seating them. We seated two people Wednesday night that we didn’t even know.”

Sandahl cited another example of not following GSB policy, saying that the GSB constitution requires all Supreme Court justices, who are appointed by the GSB president and approved by the senate, to be trained prior to taking their position.

“There hasn’t been training for two and a half years. Currently there are five seated justices and only one has been trained,” she said.

In comparison to other schools, Mike Pogge, convention secretary, said Iowa State’s student government constitution has lasted a long time, about 20 years. Many other schools, he said, go through repeated changes in their constitutions.

Hansen said this will be ISU’s third GSB constitution that anyone can remember.

The convention discussed several possible ideas for a new structure of GSB. One included an idea of having GSB senators elect the student body president.

Another, which Sandahl supported, was to let the students continue to elect the GSB president, but have the chair of the GSB senate, who would run the meetings, elected by the senate. Currently, the GSB vice-president runs GSB meetings.

Sandahl said she had heard the idea of making GSB an “umbrella organization” which would incorporate the Graduate Student Senate and the residence hall governments to save money, but she said, “It seems a little out of step to me.”

Miller said it saves time if students can go directly to their residence hall government for funds than if they had to take their requests through the GSB as well.

The delegates discussed the image of GSB and suggested the constitution address possible methods of public relations.

Hansen said one major problem with the meetings is unclear communication among the 40 senators about what is happening, creating difficulties for onlookers.

“At the end of the meeting, you’d get 40 different stories of what took place,” he said.

Hansen, Miller and Sandahl agreed the GSB constitutional convention in January should discuss incorporating better communication into the senate meetings.