by Joe Harris
senior editor

The Student Government Association's December meeting, scheduled for Dec. 2, was canceled due to a lack of participation and will not be rescheduled.

D. Mike Bauer, SGA chair, said that nothing much could have been accomplished even if the meeting was held.

"We were sensing that there was going to be a low turnout," Bauer said. "In addition (acting president) Steven Wolfe, (comptroller) Bryan Shaw, and myself could not attend (the December meeting)."

Without the SGA's three top officers and a quorum, which hasn't been achieved at the last two meetings, issues facing the SGA couldn't have been addressed. The biggest issue, voting on new members of the Student Court, remains tabled.

Bauer said SGA business will be conducted in its Executive Committee over winter break. The Executive Committee is comprised of Wolfe, Shaw, Bauer, and the heads of all of SGA's standing committees.

Bauer said that although the Student Court isn't permanent, it can still function.

"As far as I understand, the interim court is still working," Bauer said, "so they ought to be able to continue business as usual."

Bauer said the Student Court should still be able to handle everyday functions, but would have to be made permanent in the case of impeachment for embattled SGA president Darwin Butler.

Like the SGA Assembly, the SGA Executive Committee has had trouble reaching a quorum recently. If a quorum is not met, then the Executive Committee's decision would not be binding as well.

Bauer said he is not worried about the Executive Committee making a quorum.

"It's always a danger, but that situation I feel can be resolved a lot easier than the quorum with the assembly," Bauer said.

Some SGA representatives are unhappy with the decision. Les Owens, University Program Board representative, said he isn't surprised by the decision.

"It is just business as usual for SGA because they haven't done anything all semester," Owens said. "I am very dissatisfied."

Owens said the SGA has several things which need to be accomplished right away. Along with the Student Court, Owens said the rest of the Executive Committee has to be established.

"Right now we have no Parliamentarian and no Sergeant-at-Arms," Owens said.

Both positions have spots on the Executive Committee.

Owens said he is also concerned about the lack of a permanent Student Court.

"We have no Student Court," Owens said. "If we have an impeachment, we can't have a hearing."

Owens said he hopes the SGA will refocus over break and start making progress next semester.

"I would like to see SGA get down to the business of SGA and get away from jockeying with the media," Owens said.

The original SGA December meeting was to have taken place on Dec. 16, but was rescheduled to Dec. 2 because the original meeting was during finals week.