A group of concerned students led by senior Joel Whitaker seek to implement student government reform, though some students prefer the current Student Senate structure. The new student government proposal has been finalized and made public. At a forum Wednesday, a few students discussed the proposal's strengths and weaknesses.
For some time Student Senate has been plagued with poor attendance and the perception among students and senators that the body is ineffective.
Major questions still linger as to whether reforming the Senate structure will lead to a more representative student government.
Whitaker, student assistant to President Nancy Dye and one of the students involved in drawing the blueprints for the restructuring of student government, said he was happy with the changes and felt they will change the present role of student government.
The group restructuring student government consists of ex-senators who resigned out of frustration with the current structure of Senate as well as other concerned students. Few current senators, however, are involved with the restructuring of student government and are satisfied with the current system. Senator sophomore Chuckie Kamm said, "There are senators that don't think Senate should be restructured; most of those who resigned do. I don't think restructuring Senate will make much of a difference."
Whitaker disagreed and saw the reforms in the Senate structure as important changes in student government. Whitaker said the Senate will be "more accessible to the people with the best ideas, and they'll be better supported [giving a chance for] student activists and senators to use student government to advance their goals."
Students feel the most important change contained in the new government proposal is that it provides opportunities for students to push their interests on committees without requiring them to be senators.
For groups such as the Asian-American Alliance (AAA), which has been pushing to implement Asian- American studies as an interdisciplinary program, accessibility to committees such as the Educational Plans and Policies Committee (EPPC) would be helpful. Senators hope reforms allow organizations and students to use Senate as a tool with which to push their interests.
Whitaker said, "As of now you can't get involved in various affairs if you're not a senator. You can't be on a committee to fight for it. Now it is easier to be on a committee or work with a committee if you're not on Senate."
Though these changes appeared to shed a new light on Senate's recent failures to represent the student body, there remain those who are skeptical of its potential success.
Sophomore Maria Kong, AAA co-chair, acknowledged the changes as a step in the right direction in providing accessibility to various committees. However she expressed ambivalence as to whether the changes will increase senators involvement and familiarization with current issues and specific concerns of the students.
Kong said, "Student senators and the representatives on various committees should be held accountable for being familiar with current issues taking place, and ensuring that they are properly representing the students with specific concerns and goals. I strongly encourage the new student government policies to make a concrete commitment to providing a space to address interdisciplinary programs such as Asian-American studies."
The new reforms in Senate will be voted on by the General Faculty. The reforms must also be passed by at least two thirds of students in a referendum. Whether the new structure will be implemented will be announced on April 15.
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