Representatives from both assemblies voted in mid-January in favor of a bill that would change the ASMSU constitution to merge the two assemblies into one General Assembly.

ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.

That bill, starting today, will be put to the student body in a special election that would transform the entire structure of the organization.

Coming together
The idea of a merger surfaced as a potential solution to a problem revealed when MSU passed its accountability measures two years ago.

“All student groups enjoyed nonprofit status under the umbrella of the university,” Association Director Kara Spencer said. “With the accountability measure passing in 2009, tax-collecting groups were no longer able to claim that under the university.”

The measure changed ASMSU’s legal and financial relationship with the university, Student Assembly chairperson Chris Schotten said.

“A portion of that, which made a big impact on us, was that it caused us to lose our tax-exempt status under MSU,” he said.

The organization was advised to seek tax-exempt status independently from MSU to avoid being held liable for thousands of dollars in student tax money and insurance fees. ASMSU was instructed to identify a single decision-making body — a responsibility currently split equally between both Student and Academic Assembly, which would make it tax-exempt.

ASMSU officials were concerned about potential taxes that could be implemented upon them if they didn’t condense into a single body.

ASMSU currently pays sales taxes for many of its events and activities, Schotten said. Given the types of programs held, the dollar amount for those taxes quickly can increase.

“We would be paying state and federal taxes off of student tax money,” he said.

Schotten said ASMSU had considered restructuring for a few years, but the loss of the tax-exempt status propelled the group to examine the idea more closely. Throughout the summer of 2009, ASMSU members began talking with auditors about the risks involved with a restructuring of the assemblies, Schotten said.

Modeling the merger
Throughout these talks, the idea of merging the two assemblies into one began to play out — although it wasn’t the only option, Spencer said.

She emphasized how in the current structure, ultimate power lies with representatives who are elected directly by the students. The merger would allow that decision-making power essentially to remain the same.

“We think that’s where the decision-making power should lie,” she said. “It shouldn’t be centralized within a small group.”

ASMSU is unique as the only Big Ten university student government to utilize a bicameral system.
Lauren Hearit, the political affairs chair with the Western Student Association at Western Michigan University, said the Western Student Association is modeled roughly after the U.S. government.

“We have senators who represent different student organizations and we have senators who represent student colleges,” she said. “For the most part, it’s only one body.”

The Michigan Student Assembly at the University of Michigan is in the midst of a constitutional transition of its own, said Student General Counsel Timothy Bekkers.

“The assembly is still composed of elected representatives, but we now also have the University Council, which is composed of representatives from all the school-specific student governments,” he said in an e-mail. “I believe that move has really helped us to collaborate with each other.”

Elementary education junior Erica Palmieri said if every other Big Ten university employs a unicameral system, it clearly works.

“I hope that more specialized issues don’t get lost on one general assembly,” she said. “(ASMSU) knows more about themselves than I do, so I’m assuming they want to improve and that this change is for the best.”

Professional writing sophomore Allegra Smith said she doesn’t think a student government has to mirror other governments to be effective.

“I don’t think that matching other Big Ten university governments is the issue at hand, so much as doing what is most cost-effective for MSU students,” she said.

Keep representing
Along with solving the issue of tax liability, both Spencer and Schotten said the merger would benefit students. Schotten said the money potentially saved could go toward expanding and creating programs. A merger also would clear up confusion among students as to which assembly to approach with an issue, Spencer said.

By allowing all representatives to be present for discussions on all the bills the organization faces, Spencer said ASMSU would be able to engage on a 360-degree level.

“This new system allows us to act as a single body and have a single unified, strong voice for students across campus,” she said.

In discussing the merger during assembly meetings, representatives have expressed concerns over a loss of representation — having one General Assembly representative, as opposed to the one for each of the two assemblies.

There will be fewer representatives in the new General Assembly — a change from a total of 70 representatives in the current system to an estimated total of 53 representatives in the new assembly. However, the proportional representation for each student constituency won’t be changed, Spencer said.

“It’s still one issue, one vote,” she said. “The issues didn’t go to both assemblies. They went one place or the other. There’s no loss of vote for those groups.”

Dylan Luna, an Academic Assembly representative for Culturas de las Razas Unidas, or CRU, said he strongly urges students to vote against the merger.

“The (Council of Racial and Ethic Students) and (Council of Progressive Students) lose a number of representatives if the merger goes,” he said.

“It just increases the workload for representatives and it’s actually making ASMSU less efficient instead of more efficient.”

Academic Assembly’s Budget and Standards Committee Chair Kyle Pressley said he believes his constituents will benefit from the merger.

“I think my constituents can benefit from a more efficient system that will get initiatives done without the clouding of who’s right to do them,” he said.

The future of ASMSU
What will happen to ASMSU’s structure ultimately lies in the hands of students. Should students approve the merger, ASMSU will continue as planned, Schotten said. However, should students vote against it, ASMSU will move forward — but without tax-exempt status.

“It’s something that we are prepared to deal with,” he said.

Spencer said it’s important for students to know the vote does affect them.

“It affects the bottom line, it affects the way ASMSU is able to serve students and it affects the dollars available for students to use,” she said.