SA debates Township rezoning

Appropriations, honor code meet approval

February 20, 2006 —

The rezoning of property at Pierce and Davis roads, an Alternative Spring Break allocation, and a resolution to review the University's policies and procedures regarding alcohol highlighted the topics discussed during Monday's Student Association general House meeting.

A resolution to support the controversial rezoning of 13.98 acres on the corner of Pierce and Davis roads in Kochville Township from single-family residential to mixed-use development was one of the items on Monday's agenda. The resolution cited several reasons for supporting the rezoning, including the addition of student housing with the proposed expansion of Cardinal Townhomes and the creation of 150 to 200 jobs.

After previous approval by the Township Board and planning commissions of Kochville Township and Saginaw County, the rezoning was halted when local residents, led by SVSU professor of social work Stephen J. Yanca, voiced their disproval of the proposed plan. Yanca spearheaded a petition for a referendum, acquired the signatures of 260 Kochville residents, and forced a Feb. 28 final vote on the rezoning.

Several SA representatives voiced their own disproval of both the rezoning and the resolution. Representative Reggie Blockett spoke out against the rezoning, calling the actions surrounding the rezoning "sneaky" and the Kochville Township Board "manipulative."

"There is a large population of folks out there that are highly against this," said Blockett, who initially spoke in favor of the rezoning at several Township Board meetings last year.

Representatives Michelle Herbon and Kelly Stewart seemed to favor the rezoning and the prospect of building commercial business closer to campus.

"Invariably, there is going to be resistance to change," Herbon said. "But we're not talking about major development."

Stewart, meanwhile, pointed to the benefit of forcing the University to compete with other businesses in an effort to prevent the monopolizing of on-campus purchases such as books or coffee.

Ultimately, SA decided too few representatives were adequately educated on the specifics of the rezoning and voted in favor of tabling the discussion.

An allocation sparked a great deal of debate at the meeting as well. A representative for International Alternative Spring Break was in attendance as SA voted on whether to approve a resolution to allocate up to $1,200 for the program.

The initial resolution was structured so that SA would match any money Alternative Spring Break raised itself up to $1,200. The reasoning for the special allocation was that five SA representatives are participating in Alternative Spring Break, and SA bylaws restrict the allocation dollars representatives can receive. However, a motion was made to amend the resolution to a straight $1,200, setting off the debate.

"Even if there are SA members on this break," said representative Jeanna Byers, "I don't think it's fair to punish the others who aren't."

Representative Steve Lewitzke also supported the allocation, saying, "If this is just a small token of a way we can say thank you for going out and participating in this glorious opportunity to represent this University and all of us, then so be it."

Ultimately, the allocation passed and International Alternative Spring Break was awarded the $1,200. Also receiving allocations were the poetry group Expressions, the University Residence Association, and Cardinal Sins.

Also at the meeting, Speaker of the House Andy Suszek introduced a resolution recommending the establishment of an Ad-Hoc committee to review the University's policies and procedures regarding alcohol.

The resolution draft claims some of the policies found in the "Policy Concerning the Use of Alcohol and Other Drugs" are unnecessary, overly restrictive, or overly vague. The SA representatives will review the draft and make suggestions before it discussed further at the Feb. 27 House meeting.

A new Student Honor Code was also approved. The code had gone through a number of revisions, including some recommended by academic integrity expert Dr. Donald McCabe, who visited campus earlier this year. The new code removes reference to an individual's obligation to report others guilty of academic dishonesty.