Undergraduate Student Government on the Polytechnic and West campuses have consistently failed to post minutes after sessions in accordance with the governing bylaws for multiple semesters.
Each USG has its own set of bylaws, which serve as governing documents. Although the bylaws are similar in nature, they can vary between campuses.
USG Polytechnic
USGP's bylaws state a draft of all minutes must be posted online four days before its next regular session. USGP has failed to do this for every session since February 2015 until this week, when USGP executives uploaded minutes from the Aug. 26, 2016 meeting.
Earlier in the year, the Associated Students of ASU Supreme Court ordered the Council of Presidents from all four USG branches to post minutes from their meetings, following a suit from former USGD Vice President of Policy Ryan Boyd.
USGP president Ryan O'Hara said the administration’s lackadaisical approach toward record-keeping is the reason for the website's lack of minutes.
As the new president of USGP, O'Hara said he wants to correct this trend.
“In the past, we've been very lazy with our policies and bylaws,” O’Hara said. “Year after year, it's kind of been the same, and for someone like me, it's kind of peculiar, and with my administration going forward, I really want to make sure we are following our guidelines and procedures.”
USG West
USGW also failed to post minutes of its latest senate meeting which is in violation of Article 1, Section 2 of its bylaws stating they must post all governing documents, reports, agendas, notes and minutes for Executive Board and Senate Meetings.
"We will work to uncover the missing minutes and get them added to the website as soon as possible," Natasha Snider, USGW vice president of services said in a statement. "In addition, we are increasing our overall transparency as an organization by increasing our club and student outreach as well as utilizing SunDevilSync as a resource where we upload our meeting times, agendas as well as past minutes."
USGW also has minutes missing on its site from numerous meetings throughout all of last school year. Minutes for April 21 and April 15 are the only recorded minutes on the website under the minutes section. There are no minutes posted from earlier in the spring.
Accountability
Earlier in the year, Boyd brought a suit against ASASU for the collective Council of Presidents failing to adequately post meeting minutes in accord with the respective USG bylaws.
Boyd said bylaws are crucial in keeping a governing body operating functionally.
"As long as we have bylaws, that is their promise to hold each other accountable," Boyd said. "Until it is stricken from the laws, that is what they are bound to."
USGD and Tempe USG currently have minutes and agendas, in accordance with their respective bylaws.
"We all hold each other accountable individually and when we work together on that, we can accomplish things," said USGD Vice President of Policy Jimmy Arwood.
Editor's Note: Jimmy Arwood has written opinion columns for The State Press in the past but is no longer employed by this publication.
Reach the reporter at Garrison.Murphy@asu.edu or follow @Garrison_Murphy on Twitter.
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