Last week, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) signed the USG Empowerment Bill, which aims at empowering all UMass Boston undergraduate students to become more involved with the student senate.

According to an official statement by the USG, the Student Empowerment Bill allows any undergraduate student who is enrolled in the university to propose a project for potential implementation by the student governing body. Essentially the bill allows students to come forward with their ideas about how to further improve the university-going experience on campus.

The official statement defines projects as  any “operation that requires extensive implementation by the Undergraduate Student Government.”  All parties affiliated with projects up for implementation are advised to visit the USG website, where a USG Project Handbook will be posted no later than two months after passage of this bill.

Student Body President Ignacio Chaparro describes the bill as empowering to students. “It involves our communities a lot more,” Chaparro said. “It reaches out to students and says ‘Hey, we want you to be involved […] we want you to be a part of this process.”
Speaker of the Senate Gustafson believes the bill will help reduce the amount of pressure on committees, all of who prior to this bill were tasked with conceptualizing, legislating, and implementing projects on campus.
Gustafson adds that the bill makes more efficient use of the university’s student population while helping to streamline a pivotal part of student governance. “Not only does [the bill] allow us to have a more streamlined way of doing these projects, it also allows for students from outside the USG to propose projects which, if passed, will enable them to have an advisory role during the implementation of the project,” replied Gustafson when asked how the bill would impact student life on campus.
The process of UMass Boston undergraduates submitting projects to be potentially passed by the USG comprises three steps. The first step is the actual proposition of an idea. While the proposer of the project can be present at meetings involving potential legislation of the project, the proposer cannot vote in any of the meetings (unless the person is a member of the committees involved). In addition, projects must first be submitted to the Campus and Community Affairs committee (CCA), which will then deliberate and vote on whether to go forward with the proposed idea.
The second step involves the passing of a Project. If the CCA decides to move forward with a project, the drafting of the legislation will ensue. This will encompass budget and financial considerations, as well as going through the usual senate process.
The final step–the implementation of proposed projects–will fall under the sole authority of the executive branch of the Undergraduate Student Body, headed by President Chaparro.
The Bill was conceptualized and drafted by Speaker of the Senate Phillip Gustafson, and it was passed unanimously by the USG. More information about the bill can be found at the USG’s official website http://www.umbgov.com or on their social media pages.