On Sept. 17, 2024, Student Body President Allison Markert put out an official notice stating that she had vetoed the “Call For a Permanent Ceasefire Act,” which passed in the Senate on Sept. 4, after lengthy comments from students, alumni and members of the public, and extensive back-and-forth debate between senators.
For her first reason for the veto, she stated that “Senators have the responsibility to conduct due diligence and engage with stakeholders across the board,” and said, “this legislation did not engage with a wide enough range of campus communities until far too late in the legislative process.” She also cited “recent stakeholder reactions” saying that they “demonstrate a lack of due diligence in communicating with relevant student organizations.”
In her second reason for vetoing, she said she had concerns about the delegation of authority with the legislation, as the Diversity, Inclusion and Outreach Committee was supposed to engage with the Raleigh City Council regarding a ceasefire.
She said this delegation “shifts authority defined in Statutes away from the Student Affairs Committee in a manner that compromises objectivity and sets an undesirable precedent.” She added “The integrity of our governance processes depends on maintaining clear separations of power to prevent any potential conflicts of interest and ensure committees, on behalf of the Legislative Branch, work together on critical issues.”
She added that she wanted to “thank the involved students for their passion in addressing this issue that impacts members of our community” and encouraged students to “continue to work on impactful pieces of legislation, prioritizing dynamic and intentional collaborations with stakeholders, Student Body Officers and other entities.”
She also put out an official notice that she was vetoing the “International Support for Students Affected by Global Conflict Act,” with her first reason being that the delegation of authority was not properly established.
She said that “Given the broad scope of action that this resolution aims to encompass, ensuring proper checks and balances by enveloping a targeted and more appropriate group of Student Government members and perspectives is imperative.”Additionally, she said that the “lack of concrete, actionable steps makes it difficult to ensure effective implementation” of the act, saying that it had a “lack of specificity.”
She once again thanked the supporters of the legislation for their passion and dedication and encouraged them to continue working with the appropriate stakeholders “in order to offer more precise, actionable guidance for Student Government that aligns with established processes.”
