A recent vote for an amendment to the Stellenbosch University (SU) Student Assembly Rules was cancelled due to a lack of votes, said William Villet, the speaker of the SU Student Assembly.
Only 19 out of the necessary 25 votes were submitted at the student parliament sitting on 31 August, stated Villet.
The sitting was attended by 31 parliamentary members, he said.
Stellenbosch University (SU) student leaders were mandated to attend the recent SU Student Assembly sitting but many did not attend, said William Villet (pictured above), the speaker of the SU Student Assembly. PHOTO: Joseph Bracken
This follows the previous sitting on 21 August that did not reach the minimum number of members required for proceedings to commence.
An unprecedented event
This was the first time in this academic year that a vote was not counted due to a lack of submissions, said Villet.
Many of the student leaders who were mandated to attend the sitting did not attend, he stated.
The agenda of the meeting included a proposed amendment to Addendum B from decorum point five onward, said Villet.
This amendment pertains to the rules of engagement in the student parliament such as “how to conduct meeting procedure, how motions should be arrived [upon] and what the procedure should be”, said Villet.
The recent Stellenbosch University student parliament sitting was held in the Krotoa building on campus. PHOTO: Joseph Bracken
“The amendment is necessary to optimise accountability and ensure that the different spheres of student governance are kept in check,” said Cole Baker, deputy speaker of the SU Student Assembly and chair of the policy forum.
Complacency and consequences
“It speaks to the lackadaisical nature of some student leaders,” said Baker. End of year busy-ness plays a part, but moreover, it’s complacency that there will always be someone else to pick up the slack, claimed Baker.
Absence as a student leader in parliamentary sittings could affect the outcome of their end-of-year evaluations, said Masilo Silokazi, chairperson of the Student Representative Council at SU.
Speaker of the Stellenbosch University (SU) Student Assembly, Willliam Villet, explains why attendance for Student Parliament sittings is lesser towards the end of the academic year. AUDIO: Joseph Bracken
Passing the torch
This was the final sitting of the outgoing Student Parliament leaders, as the next sitting will be held by the incoming members who are yet to be announced in an election on 21 September, said Villet.