Former vice president Dick Cheney infamously categorized the office of vice president as its own branch of government, claiming so since it holds power in both the legislative and executive branches. During his term, he certainly asserted himself as no vice president in history had before.

Never, though, did he misconstrue the vice president’s constitutional role in the Senate in order to enforce his executive will over the legislative body — outside of his one tiebreaking vote.

Within the structure of our Student Government’s Constitution and Code of Laws, Cheney would have run wild.

Our student government configuration allows for the executive vice president to severely breach the idea of separation of powers, and this elected position is just one prime example of an ingrained policy in the system. There are certainly others.

For all those who have taken or are taking Political Science 101, it should be known that the vice president is the “President of the Senate” and has a tie-breaking vote, as mandated in Article I of our Constitution. Historically, however, the president pro tempore, a senator chosen by other senators, presides over all meetings.

Our SGA Constitution does not share the same admiration for such a system. The executive branch treats the Senate as a glorified stepping stone for predestined senators and a complete joke for all the rest. Nothing stands in its way either.

That is why the executive vice president can and does exert such a preposterous amount of undemocratic power over the legislative body — with most of it backed by the SGA Constitution and Code of Laws.

Instead of enforcing the legislation passed by the Senate, the executive branch enforces what legislation comes out of the Senate.

Chapter 602.1.2 of the Code of Laws states, “new legislation must be handed in or e-mailed to the executive vice president or Secretary of the Senate at least 24 hours prior to a scheduled Senate meeting.” Not only does the executive branch get a sneak preview of bills and time to prepare a response, but neither the Secretary of the Senate nor the executive vice president are bound to notify senators about upcoming bills.

That smell is not the new tar on ten Hoor’s roof. It is your SGA executive branch burning the system of checks and balances and, Capstonians, I am not finished.

In the Senate, there are six committees, each with a specific purpose and level of importance. The Constitution and Code of Laws both fail to specify the process of senators joining a committee. Thus, the executive vice president steps in and picks who joins each one. Cheney would be licking his chops just at the idea of this.

This summer, the executive branch unveiled “Senate Project Approval Forms.” Although I realize that they provide a guideline for senators to follow in setting up a legislative project, the convoluted notion that senators must have step by step approval from executive branch members levels senators with third graders.

Before a senator can even approach an administrator about a potential project, he or she must receive executive permission. With this bureaucratic firewall in place, senators quickly realize that tagging along with executive projects is about the only way to pass legislation.

Legislation must have final executive approval for passage — except for when a presidential veto is overridden.  That, however, should not grant the executive branch the authority to completely manage the legislative process. Unfortunately, no rules are set to prevent this overstepping.

The current secondary status of the SGA Senate undermines any attempt to even pretend that our SGA is a reputable form of government. It also highly discourages any involvement from the segments of campus that do not normally participate in campus politics.

Running for a Senate seat is the first recommendation made to students who habitually complain about campus issues, but when the Senate only has power when the executive branch grants it, the importance of the position is lost.

In “Federalist 51,” James Madison states, “In order to lay a due foundation for that separate and distinct exercise of the different powers of government … it is evident that each department should have a will of its own.”

Our SGA does not come close to ensuring this requisite safeguard, as the will of the executive branch is the only will that matters due mostly to the weak Constitution and Code of Laws that govern it.

Cheney would be proud.

Wesley Vaughn is a junior majoring in public relations and political science. His column runs weekly on Wednesdays.