The SGA Senate convened on Wednesday night with a full agenda.

In new business, the senate passed a resolution to support the implementation of Pick-A-Prof, an online professor-rating system.

The previous absences of Sen. Matt Maxey and Sen. Kevin Teets were also reviewed, leading to a failed motion brought before Senate twice to impeach Sen. Teets.

According to Secretary-General Pamela Bartholomew, Sen. Maxey had three absences after sending a substitute to the Aug. 28 Senate meeting, missing the Oct. 2 Procedures Committee meeting, not attending his college's Town Hall Meeting and missing the Oct. 23 Senate meeting. The senate moved to excuse Maxey's Oct. 23 absence because he was on official business for the UTM chapter of College Democrats, of which he is president.

Secretary-General Bartholomew listed Sen. Teets's absences at 6.75 after he sent substitutes to the Aug. 28 and Sept. 25 Senate meetings, missed the Oct. 23 and Nov. 19 Senate meetings, missed the Sept. 30 Academic Affairs Committee meeting, missed his college's Town Hall Meeting and failed to perform nine office hours.

Executive assistant Liz Craig, substituting for Procedures Chair Sen. Landon Loveall, enumerated the steps in the process should Senate seek to impeach. Vice-president Beau Pemberton opened the floor for questions to and answers from the senators regarding these absences and reminded Senate that the excusing of absences is at their discretion.

President Jennifer Ogg said, "What has usually happened in the past is that [the absences] just stand unless someone wants to move against a given absence. If they stand, impeachment will not begin unless someone moves for impeachment. If they given an explanation that moves [a senator to do so]," a senator may move to excuse the absence.

Bartholomew read a letter from Teets, who was "en route to Nashville for an 8 a.m. Tennessee Higher Education Commission meeting." In the letter, Teets argued that the SGA Constitution does not directly mention a requirement of office hours for senators and does not say that failure to perform office hours incurs a penalty of absences.

After a lengthy deliberation, the senate ruled the absences stand, less the Oct. 23 and the Nov. 19 meetings. Sen. Teets's argument that missed office hours carry no penalty in the count of absences was struck down by Chief Justice Nikki Draper, who said, "There is an unwritten rule that there is a half-absence" for every two unperformed office hours.

A motion to impeach Sen. Teets on the grounds of not fulfilling his constitutional duties was made by Sen. Jeff Hall. The motion did not receive the required two-thirds majority and failed. Sen. Josh Davis, calling a division, again made the motion to impeach. The move again failed by the same margin.

"If you're a senator, you've got to do your job," Liz Craig said. "And if someone isn't doing their job, I don't think everyone else should be held accountable [to do so]."

Sen. Jacob Crouch said, "If you remove [Teets] from SGA and bring in an entirely new person in his spot, it would in my mind set us back pretty far."

In other business:

• Liz Craig, delivering the report for Sen. Joey Pierce, announced a Thursday meeting with assistant director of Public Safety Steve Jahr regarding the recent passage of the Harber Resolution. Sen. Pierce had said in an Executive Council meeting earlier in the week that "since [the resolution] was passed unanimously, it is [SGA's] job to see it through."

• Al Hooten, vice chancellor for finance and administration, spoke to the senate body about how the new facilities fee is used around campus. According to Hooten, this fee is earmarked for improvements to the "classroom environment," and $700,000 in improvements has been requested. So far $190,000 has been spent, the largest expense being planned improvements to the Humanities Auditorium.