TCU students approved all four of the proposed changes to the Student Government Association’s (SGA) constitution in a student-wide vote last week.

The proposed changes included adding the TCU anti-hazing policy and TCU anti-discriminatory policy to SGA’s constitution, eliminating student body vote on changes to the SGA constitution mandated by the university and merging the two student body vice presidents into one.  

All four proposed changes will go into effect immediately except for the merging of the two student body presidents.

Vivian Noyd, the elections and regulations chair of SGA, said that amendments made to the SGA constitution must first be approved by the organization.

To be approved, the amendments must pass the House of Student Representatives by a two-thirds vote and then will be available for a vote by the undergraduate student body.  

When asked about the reasoning behind implementing TCU’s anti-hazing and anti-discriminatory policies into the SGA constitution, Noyd said that they are required provisions in all student organization constitutions.  

“In order to remain compliant with university requirements for registered student organizations, SGA added these changes to the referendum,” Noyd said.  

The proposed change to eliminate the student body vote is not a complete silencing of students — it’s only on charges mandated by the university to maintain SGA’s status as an officially recognized student organization.

“As an organization, it places an undue time and financial burden on the group to advertise and then hold a student body-wide referendum vote on items, like the anti-hazing and anti-discrimination clauses, that the university is requiring SGA to add,” Noyd said.  

Some students were confused about the proposed change to eliminate student body vote, thinking that the student vote would be taken out in general.

“I personally did not agree with it because I think it’s important to let students have a say,” said Marissa Briggs, a junior TCU education major.

That amendment that combines the vice president positions will go into effect in SGA’s next election cycle in the spring of 2020. 

SGA’s House of Student Representatives will meet again on Tuesday, Nov. 12.