SINAG staff files resolution for changing its charter

The staff of SINAG, the official publication of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP), filed September 9 a resolution expressing intent to amend their charter for "practical and political reasons."

SINAG Editor-in-Chief (EIC) Marie Julienne Ente added that the charter’s provision allocating P30 of student fees for SINAG should be amended for practical reasons to adjust to the dwindling college population.

This is a fixed value and not a percentage of the student’s population will be affected by inflation, said Ente.

“With the dwindling population of the college, our financial status is quite insecure and may be a problem to the succeeding editorial board (who, at worst, might be left with nothing at all),” said Ente.

"Political reasons" also motivated the proposal, said Gromico Chopitea, SINAG Business Manager and main proponent of the said motion.

“The Staff of SINAG–CSSP," quoting Alexis Ian dela Cruz, former Associate Editor, sees the current Charter as “EIC (Editor-in-chief)–centric,” said the resolution.

Chopitea said the staff believes the current charter puts too much power on just one person.

Meanwhile, Ente said this is not the characteristic of a democratic institution.

In the resolution, SINAG assailed its charter, unchanged since its ratification in 1991, for being “obsolete.”

The resolution has been forwarded to the Office of the Student Affairs for commenting and consultation.

SINAG staff criticized the ignorance of the importance of other bodies like the Higher Editorial Board and the Section Editors, lack of organization in defining the rules of the publication, and other technicalities that do not take effect but should.

Chopitea said the staff has not proposed amendments as of press time, but will as soon as the dean approves of the resolution.

A new charter needs the approval by the Board of Regents (BOR) and ratification by a majority (50%+1) of CSSP students in a referendum. ▪

Article by Jane Fabula