Bills reducing the size of the Student Association Senate have been signed by SA President Jon David Cole and await a student vote.
Cole has signed Bills 28 and 29, and students will vote on the changes in the SA election Feb. 21.
“These bills take the size of the Senate, which currently reads anywhere from 45 to 55, and in essence changes the size to a variable number depending on how many residence halls are at the university at the time,” vice president Cory Carter said.
Bill 28 basically opens up for 29, and their general propose is to streamline the Senate and reduce its numbers so that quorum would be easier to reach, SA senator Mike Okhuysen said.
Each residence hall still has its own seat, but the bill trims down the areas of day students and some of the colleges, Carter said. The number of representatives from each body is proportional. The formula works so that the largest college gets the highest number of seats and as college size gets smaller, the number of seats decreases, he said.
The graduate students seats were also included in the formula in line with the colleges, so if they’re one of the biggest groups on campus, then they’re guaranteed three seats, he said
“I think anything that will give the Senate more prestige and clout as an institution is a healthy thing for the Student Association. A smaller Senate means more accountability, and that would be a positive change,” SA President John David Cole said.
Once the bills go on the ballot, the students have the option of voting for or against them, because in order for a constitutional amendment to pass it must receive two-thirds of the students votes in the election, said Edward Sanders, president pro tempore of the Senate.
Over the years the majority of the referendums that have failed did so because voters lacked the knowledge behind them, he said. It’s vital that students know what the bill is about and that they support the bill if they think the Senate should be more responsible to student needs, he said.
Since election have gone into a noncompetitive slide these last few years, these bills will make elections more competitive by cutting down the number of seats to foster more competition from the various precincts, Sanders said.
“I hope that the students see that the Senate had a great debate and realized where some of the problems where, and that they follow their representatives by approving the changes to the constitution,” said Carter.