Low representative turnout prevents SG Boca House from passing new bills
The Boca House of Representatives failed to meet the required quorum at their meeting on Oct. 18, which is the minimum number of members needed to consider the meeting official.
Only 14 members of the House were present, while 15 out of 30 were absent. Only one more member was needed to meet the quorum.
The lack of attendance meant representatives couldn’t approve requests for student organizations, including the Black Student Union’s (BSU) Comedy Show bill and approval for candidates from the Campus Recreation Advisory Board. Kaila Palmer, a student advocating for the BSU bill, noted that the low turnout not only prevented the bill from passing but also hindered support from their representatives.
“It was very disheartening to know that the representative [Medgine] Present reached out numerous times, recessed twice and still did not meet quorum,” said Palmer.
However, Palmer said the low turnout is an ongoing issue in Florida Atlantic University’s Student Government (SG), affecting both the House of Representatives and the Senate. She served as Pro-Tempore for the House from 2023 to 2024 and was a senator from 2020 to 2023 — where she noticed the trend.
FAU’s Boca Raton campus governor, Raymond Adderly, apologized to the student organizations at the meeting for the “time wasted.”
“It is the respectful thing for members of the House to do their one constitutional job, which is to show up,” said Adderly, adding that it is already hard work to create requests and get approval from the House.
While this situation may not concern those outside of SG, he continued, saying that the meeting was a “discouraging day.” He emphasized that as if he were a regular student who needed the opportunity to get approval from the House, he could not do so due to the lack of attendance.
A discussion about participation should be performed among representatives, added Adderly, as he recommended that they should “soul-search” to see if they can fulfill their obligations in the House.
Rep. Jack Nixon agreed with Adderly, stating, “This is honestly sad to me as a new member of this House.” He then asked Adderly how to fix this problem.
Adderly responded that during his time in the House, he had observed fewer filled seats compared to the current legislative term. He noted that some members felt attending meetings was “beneath” them, as he strongly discourages this mindset amongst representatives.
“I think the issue is that the House needs to coalesce; people should talk and figure out who wants to do this business and who doesn’t,” said Adderly, emphasizing that the House can be effective with just 10 members since only five are needed to meet quorum, rather than relying on 30 members when only 14 are committed.
Palmer proposed that there should be a removal process to eliminate undedicated representatives.
“For ‘x’ amount of unexcused absences, you will be removed from the body by a majority vote of the members in good standing,” said Palmer. “Representatives may appeal their removal, but they must speak in front of the House about why they should remain in their position.”
The Speaker of the House, Present, stated in the meeting that she was disappointed that a quorum could not be reached and that she had emailed representatives who hadn’t attended previous sessions.
She explained that members may be removed from their positions if they are unresponsive about their absences, which should help address the quorum issue in future meetings.
Michael Cook is the News Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email michael17cook@gmail.com.
Latest University Press
- ‘Owls in Israel’: Hillel’s Israel trip sees drop in student turnoutEditor’s note: Michael Cook, the News Editor at the University Press, attended this year’s trip to Israel and edited this story. Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach at Florida Atlantic University and at least one other state university noticed less interest in their annual trip to Israel for campus student leaders. Hillel, an organization that...
- Baseball: FAU unveils state-of-the-art indoor training facilityFlorida Atlantic University’s baseball program took a significant step forward with the unveiling of its brand-new indoor training facility in September. The facility is equipped with tunnels and a turf area, addressing the long-established need for an indoor space that can be used year-round. The project has been two years in the making and became...
- ‘You don’t have to do it alone’: FAU sheds light on domestic violenceFlorida Atlantic University has been lighting up the Boca Raton campus this October in purple, the nationally recognized color for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This month is dedicated to offering resources and education to prevent domestic violence, which is an abusive behavior that typically occurs within families or relationships, as defined by Katherine Cascio. Cascio,...
- Women’s Basketball: FAU introduces male practice players for the 2024-25 seasonIn the fall, Florida Atlantic University Women’s Basketball made multiple social media posts asking for male practice players to help elevate their game for the upcoming season again. The team picked up a few players to help them practice and prepare for their season in September. Each practice player on the women’s team is a...
- Men’s Basketball: Jakus intends to test out two different starting lineups for Saturday’s exhibition gameT-minus four days until Florida Atlantic plays their first college basketball game of the season. Although it’s an exhibition match against the Division II Saint Leo University Lions, it’s still college hoops against another program. It’s been 214 days since we last saw the Owls’ on the hardwood. Fast forward to today and there’s a...
- From modeling to medicine: FAU senior Dre’Shawn Pace navigates various professionsDre’Shawn Pace, an FAU senior majoring in biology, is preparing for a future in medicine. However, he’s also making strides on the runway. Modeling isn’t a new venture for Pace. His parents encouraged him to start, taking him to auditions and photoshoots at the age of 10. “Modeling has always been something that I wanted...