Wednesday’s Student Government Association (SGA) meeting opened with an unexpected bang.

The gathering commenced with Speaker Modesto Montero asking Senator Bill Cody to leave the meeting due to another senator, Lindsay Vitale, feeling uncomfortable in his presence. Cody was allegedly intoxicated and has allegedly appeared in such a state at SGA meetings before. He reportedly began to taunt and verbally attack the female senator, who, according to Montero, has been the target of Cody’s ire before.

“[Similar behavior] happened last year and earlier this semester,” said Montero. “It happened with Bill Cody and this same student, and my feeling is it’s just gone too far at this point.”

When Cody refused to leave, Speaker Montero called for a recess during which he called in members of the University of Massachusetts Police Department to escort Cody out of the meeting.

Montero then addressed the rest of the Senate body, explaining that he felt this type of behavior from senator to senator was unacceptable and saying he would try to personally handle the situation.

Reached by phone late Thursday, Montero said that, as Speaker, he has the power to prevent individual senators from attending meetings and, calling the situation unfortunate, that he would invoke that privilege against Sen. Cody.

“My personal take on it is that I don’t want him in any of my senate meetings until this whole thing is clear,” he said. “I’m going to assert that power for the safety of my senators and myself, as well.”

Reached by phone late Thursday as well, Cody said he plans to remain on the SGA and will not be attending tonight’s Ways and Means Committee meeting. Though he would not be quoted on specifics, he said he did not understand what prompted the altercation and that, while he had been at the Campus Center’s Graduate Lounge bar prior to the meeting, he had not had a drink for more than two hours before the start of the meeting. He said he was speaking with Vitale about the Collegiate Readership Program, which provides newspapers to the school, and that he did not understand why she felt uncomfortable with his actions. Cody said he will attend next week’s SGA session.

During his committee update, Josh Davidson, chairman of the SGA’s Ways and Means Committee, stated that the committee would not hold meetings again until Cody was removed from the Senate.

From there, the meeting moved forward and President Brandon Tower introduced the UMass EMS Club, which hopes to introduce a new Quick Response Service but whose leaders said the group needs more funding to do so. The service, its leaders said, would help alleviate some of the pressure that the Amherst Fire Department faces in regards to the volume of calls they must address, namely on Friday and Saturday nights. Dave Peltier, the executive director of UMass EMS, told the Senate body the club needs more funding to purchase more equipment.

“We’re looking for a lot of support,” he said. “We have a lot of supplies, but we need more of them in order for the system to work and to help out UMass Police Department and Amherst Fire.”

Tower clarified for the Senate that he feels the club could help augment the professional department’s services, not replace them.

“This service would be a supplement to the current efforts of Amherst Fire, not a service in lieu of it,” he said.

UMass EMS currently staffs campus events at locations such as the Mullins Center and the Fine Arts Center, but the organization is looking to expand its services to assist more members of the student body.

In keeping with the SGA’s recent theme of attempting to better-fund various student groups, the alpine ski team, Habitat for Humanity, and the men’s club volleyball team were among clubs Senators discussed increasing allocations to at the meeting. Both the ski team and the volleyball team needed money in order to participate in competitions and Habitat for Humanity needed money for its spring break trip to Florida to help build houses. All groups were awarded the funds they had motioned for.

In the giving spirit, Senator Jarred Rose sponsored a motion to formally thank the UMass Motor Sports Club for helping residents dig out their cars after the recent snowstorms. That motion passed.

The meeting took a sentimental turn when a motion was called that would formally wish outgoing Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Campus Life Byron Bullock luck as he leaves the University to accept a leadership position at the American University of Nigeria. Bullock has been a part of the SGA for the past five years.

At the request of SGA members, Bullock gave a short speech beginning with the fact that he was humbled by the display of gratitude. He then gave a quick anecdote mentioning that at the first SGA meeting he ever attended he was given a standing ovation, because he was the first administrator to ever attend an SGA meeting, yet he felt his presence was a job requirement.

Though not actually a requirement, his job description did not stop Bullock from attending meetings.

“Over the years, I’ve seen a remarkable turnaround in terms of [the] SGA; an active engagement of SGA in the UMass community. I am excited to work with you all, I think that there is so much more to be done and it is up to you to lead the way, and I am excited to see what you can and will do.

“I will miss UMass and particularly the SGA,” Bullock continued. “My work has always been about the students, because the role of any university should be about the students. I have always been an advocate for the students, because without the students, there would be no UMass Amherst. I’m excited about what will continue to happen. I hope that you will continue to be active and proactive and engaged,” he concluded.

At his final SGA meeting, Bullock was once again treated to a standing ovation. A motion was called to proceed with a roll call vote. The Senate voted unanimously to formally wish Bullock the best as he continues on to Africa.

The SGA will hold its next meeting March 3, but will host a debate for next year’s president and student trustee next Tuesday, March 2.

Ashley Berger can be reached at [email protected]. Sam Butterfield can be reached at [email protected].