Michigan Student Assembly Vice President Probir Mehta admitted before last night's meeting that he was nervous about having to act as the meeting's chair in the absence of the president.
As it turned out, the meeting went less than smoothly.
"This is back to the old MSA of party politics," said Engineering Rep. Mike Pniewski. "It's very disappointing."
The meeting was marred by heated debate and confusion. Statements such as "what is this?," "what are we voting on?," and "what's going on?" were heard increasingly as patience ran thin on all sides.
When the smoke cleared, MSA had tabled the only two major resolutions until next week's meeting.
The first resolution members discussed would have prohibited students campaigning for an MSA office from attaching posters or fliers to any painted surface on campus.
After extensive debate, members decided the measure would have to be tabled for a week so it could be reviewed by the rules and oversights committee.
The assembly then debated a resolution that would require a two-thirds vote from members for approval of internal or external assembly spending.
MSA's rules state that only a majority of members is necessary for spending to be approved.
After more than half an hour of disagreement and conflict, the second resolution was also tabled so that members would have more time to review their options.
Toward the end of the meeting, about the only thing the assembly could agree on was adjournment.
LSA Rep. Jonathan Winick was disturbed by the meeting's lack of accomplishment.
"I don't think I've ever been so upset about an MSA meeting as I am right now - and I've been here three years," he said.
Mehta said his inexperience as chair may have fueled the disagreement and confusion, but because the meeting took place at Trotter House instead of MSA's office in the Michigan Union things were not as heated as they might have been.
"It was my first time so I was a little rusty, but I tried to make it flow," he said. "I think (the Trotter House's) environment helped calm things a bit, because if we had been in the chamber, it really would have been bad."
Despite previous expectations of a high student turnout for last night's meeting at Trotter House, the change in venue did not attract many observers. Only a handful of students who are not on the assembly attended.
Mehta said internal assembly issues like those discussed last night usually lead to heated conflict. "This was housekeeping and housekeeping got a little tense," he said. "Tension had to happen sometime, and tonight became sometime."
MSA will try to resolve these same "housekeeping" issues next week.
JOSH BIGGS/Daily
LSA Rep. Mike Nagrant speaks at last night's meeting at The Trotter House. With little seating at the alternative location, many members had to sit on the floor.