The Crimson White Print Edition - September 7, 2023

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The historic SGA shutdown 30 years ago
Alex Gravlee
Staff Writer
The University of Alabama
SGA was founded in 1914.
The organization claims 112
presidents over its 109-year
history. So why is this year’s
Senate referred to as the
“28th Senate”?
The answer lies in events
that took place 30 years
ago: the only time in the
University’s history that the
administration shut down
SGA, a shutdown that lasted
from spring 1993 to fall 1996.
The following information
was gathered from issues of
The Crimson White printed
during that period.
Feb. 2, 1993: Minda Riley
attacked
The reason for the
shutdown, according to then-
UA President Roger Sayers,
was to increase diversity for
the SGA and ensure that the
association was “fair, free
and open.”
However, the direct cause,
as the president stated, was
the assault on independent
SGA presidential candidate
Minda Riley in her home
during February 1993.
The assailant entered
through her front door while
she was home alone. Riley,
daughter of future Alabama
Gov. Bob Riley, reported that
the man, who she claimed
was white, said “You f--- with
the wrong people, you get
f-----” before beating her. The
candidate suffered a stab
wound, a busted lip
and bruises.
Riley blamed the
Machine, a select coalition of
traditionally white fraternities
and sororities designed to
influence campus policies, for
the attack.
Feb. 3, 1993: Sayers
suspends the SGA
J. Norman Baldwin, a nowretired
professor who taught
at the University 30 years ago,
said the University’s move
to suspend the SGA was
courageous.
“Student government
was out of control,” Baldwin
said adding that the
administration's implication
was, “If you can’t behave
responsibly, then we’ll
just do away with student
government.”
The Coordinating Council
for Student Organizations,
a body that managed all
campus organizations at
that time, assumed SGA
responsibilities during the
suspension. The Council of
Presidents, a subdivision of
the CCSO, was charged with
disbursing funds to student
organizations.
The COP consisted of
15 members, including
presidents from various
student organizations such
as the Interfraternity Council,
Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Alliance
and African American
Association.
Headlines from CW Archive. Collage CW / Carson Lott and Natalie Marburger
March 1994:
Constitutional convention
formed
After a failed referendum
in September 1993 that would
have restructured the SGA,
students and administrators
began to look at other options.
Almost half a year later, in
March 1994, students formed
a constitutional convention
of over 200 delegates with
Baldwin as its adviser. This
unofficial organization
dedicated itself to drafting
a new constitution for the
SGA, reinstating student
government at the University
and adding diversity to
the organization.
There was tension
throughout the proceedings.
“There was one night the
independents got up and
walked out of the convention.
... I thought it was terrific that
they exercised their power
that way,” Baldwin said.
Despite this, Baldwin said
that it “was all pretty polite
and reasonable.”
The convention’s
constitution sought to
democratize the new
government by adding
positions to the executive
branch, something that
Baldwin said would have
given “more opportunities for
independents to win
those positions.”
After a long process, on
March 7, 1995, the convention
submitted its draft to the
Student Life Committee and
other committees for review.
In the meantime,
students debated the idea of
reinstating the SGA. For some,
its return would mean the
return of Machine control;
for others, it was a necessary
component of campus
life that would ensure
student representation and
prepare future leaders for
government.
November 1995: Student
Life Committee finishes
review
Among the
recommendations the
committee made was a
requirement for election
candidates to report their
weekly campaign spending
rather than their whole
budget in order to increase
accountability in the new
SGA. The final constitution
included this change.
After further review by
the director for academic
affairs, the convention’s
draft was eventually put to
a referendum produced by
the Elections Board. This
referendum required at least
25% of the student body to
vote on the reestablishment
of the SGA.
On March 21, 1996, it
was announced that the
convention’s constitution
had passed with 30% of the
student population voting
and 82% of voters in favor
of adopting the document.
The temporary powers of the
Council of Presidents and
CCSO were phased out, and
students once again had
an SGA.
The current senate is the
28th since the shutdown.
Legacy of the shutdown
The shutdown continues to
inspire a variety of reactions
and opinions among those
interested in SGA history.
John Hammontree, a
producer on the popular
podcast about the Machine
called “Greek Gods,” cited
the shutdown as a historical
delineation in the tactics used
by the secret organization.
“You don’t really hear
about any major violence was
perpetrated by the Machine
after that shutdown period,
so maybe the shutdown was
a wakeup call. Like, ‘Hey, we
can’t do this stuff anymore,’”
Hammontree said.
Still others interested in
the University’s history see
corruption before and after
the shutdown.
“There is evidence of
unethical behavior conducted
by members of the Machine
... before and after the
shutdown,” said Becky
Beamer, director of the 2022
documentary “Machine: Vivat
Apparatus.”
“For significant change to
happen, the most important
thing is for individuals to
speak up and ask questions
related to the transparency
of institutions and for every
person to exercise their right