Volume 59, Issue 9  - October 16, 2006

SGA finance post remains vacant
By Michell Godinez
Staff Writer

A current Student Government Association member might be appointed to the vacant vice president of accounting and finance position, the organization’s president says.

Erick Vallarino resigned from the post on Oct. 5.

As reported earlier, Vallarino resigned from office via e-mail, stating, “My decision was based mostly on academic issues and time constraints, and the rest on the fact that I am not content with the direction that the SGA is taking.”

Vallarino was appointed by President Abraham Ponce and sworn in during the Sept. 7 SGA meeting.

Vallarino could not be reached for comment.

Ponce was caught off guard by the resignation but recognizes the fact that Vallarino has a heavy course load.

“It’s unfortunate, but we always tell every one of our members your school comes first and that’s more important,” he said.

Ponce already has a couple of ideas on how to fill the position.

“I have some [candidates] in mind and usually what we do is we move someone within the organization up or we move a VP over,” he said. “There are some possible candidates but as far as someone for sure, not yet. … My plans, which still have to be discussed with the group, [are to move Vice President of Public Relation Steve] Aguilar up to vice president for finance and moving [Vice President of Historical Archives] Adriana Gonzalez to fill [Aguilar’s] spot.

“More than likely … we are going to talk more about it this week because we can’t have vacancies, especially for finance,” he said.   

According to SGA Vice President of Administration Yajaira Fuentes, the available position must be appointed by the president.

“He brings it up to the senate, we take a vote [and with a] two-thirds vote it passes,” said Fuentes.

The person appointed to vice president of accounting and finance is required to have served one year or be serving his or her second semester in the SGA.

“We can’t just bring any person in, according to our Constitution,” she said.

Other appointed members sworn in at the Sept. 7 meeting were Aguilar, Vice President of Policy and Procedure Gaby Sosa-Zavaletta and Senators at Large Gus Salinas and Angela Basaldua.

Elected and sworn into office last spring were Ponce, Fuentes, Gonzalez, Senators for the School of Business Rogelio Chanes, Matthew Kendall and Joe Lee Rubio, Senator for the College of Science, Mathematics and Technology Rodolfo Cisneros Jr., Senator for the School of Health Sciences Oscar Lee Garza, Senators for the School of Education Celeste Dela-Garza and Crystal Olivo, Senators for the College of Liberal Arts Robert Paredes and Ana Armendariz, and Senators at Large Hector O. Zamarripa and Ryan Tauber.

Elected Freshman Senators Cristina Alaniz, Rose Marie Alvarez, Cristal M. Vargas, Joel W. Alaffa and Mario D. Gomez were sworn in Sept. 14 and Senator for the College of Science, Mathematics and Technology Jessica Reyes was appointed and sworn in on Sept. 21.