A proposed amendment to eliminate an executive role from the Student Association has put the position of vice president of multicultural affairs under fire.

Adam Shamah, a sophomore majoring in business and economics, and president of the Binghamton Review, submitted an amendment to the Student Assembly Rules Committee that crossed out all mentions of the position, held by Maryam Belly, in the Student Association constitution. The committee reviewed and approved the amendment Wednesday by a vote of 7 to 2.

“The resources could be better split up,” he said.

The VPMA has been embroiled in controversy since 2005. In the spring, Belly’s predecessor, David Redbord, was nearly impeached.

“There have always been attempts to oust the VPMA position,” Belly said.

According to Rules Committee Chair Mary Leonardo, the committee found that Shamah’s proposal created no internal conflict, which is the most common way something can be ruled unconstitutional.

Shamah, who is also a member of the Rules Committee, abstained from the vote.

Shamah said he believed the VPMA position is an inefficient use of resources that could be used to benefit all student groups, including cultural ones.

“It’s time it goes to referendum,” he said. “I want students to let us know what they think about it.”

The amendment will next be presented in the committee’s report on Monday, Leonardo said, where it must pass with 50 percent approval to be given “New Business” standing and submitted for consideration at a Student Assembly meeting. According to the guidelines for amending the Assembly constitution, the amendment would then have to pass in that body with a two-thirds vote in order to be presented to students on a referendum.

The referendum would then need to be approved by two-thirds of all undergraduate student voters in order for the amendment to be accepted.

An amendment that doesn’t pass can still be submitted as a petition, which goes straight to referendum status if 10 percent of all undergraduate students sign it.

“The Student Assembly could better serve all student groups if all student groups reported to Boris [Tadchiev], the EVP [executive vice president],” Shamah said.

The amendment was not a personal attack on current VPMA Maryam Belly or on multiculturalism, Shamah said. He added that he believes he will have support from both sides of the political aisle in the Assembly, and that the amendment will pass. Belly disagreed.

“This is not a matter of the constitution operating, but of meeting the needs of student groups,” Belly, who ran on a platform of stability, said.

Belly said that this semester she has looked into all issues brought to her by students, reached out to administrators, and planned forums and events. She said her plans for the rest of the semester included bringing an FBI agent to campus, a speaker for Women’s History Month and more.

She also said she could speculate that the amendment was brought forward because some students don’t think culture should be promoted on campus.

“They’re acting out of personal beliefs, not factual [ones],” Belly said.

In the most recent issue of the Binghamton Review, a student-run conservative publication, a person at a computer is held at gunpoint with Shamah looking on. The photo’s caption reads: “You try writing an article on why the VPMA sucks at gunpoint.” The Review’s back page is typically reserved for parodies.

Carlos Ali, the former president of the Rainbow Pride Union, said he believes the VPMA position is an integral part of the Student Association executive board.

“If the position wasn’t around, there would be great disconnect on the third floor of the New Union between different cultural groups,” he said. “They’ve definitely made a more conducive environment for cultural groups to interact with each other.”

Should the amendment pass and all mentions of the VPMA be struck from the constitution, the Intercultural Awareness Committee of the Student Group Council would still remain, Leonardo said.