Two
Down: Student Senate Resignations Early In Term
by
Chris Anton
Two
weeks ago junior senator Adam Seidel retired from Student Senate,
a reminder that at Oberlin a few things can be counted on. Students
will always grumble about an unresponsive administration, there
will never be enough parking, and of course student senate will
get a change over at least once a semester.
Unlike other resignations that have riddled senate over the past
several years, Seidels is not borne out of frustration with
senate, a lack of commitment to students, or time constraints. He
feels, however, that he can best serve students in another capacity.
I believe that my energy can best be utilized for this campus
by the Student Finance Committee as the Assistant Treasurer,
Seidel said.
He had nothing but kind parting words, and agreed to retain his
seat long enough to assist in the completion elections and committee
appointments. My perception of Senate has changed 180 degrees
since I was elected, Seidel said, I have enjoyed working
with all of you and I hope that this means Senate and SFC can work
more closely together. They are both very important to this campus.
Sopomore senator Julie Dulani resigned several days later in an
e-mail to senators, citing other time commitments.
These resignations coincided with the close of this years
elections which made filling the open positions simpler. The first
order of business for the newly seated senate will be the impending
referendum. Typically, senate holds referendums in order to prioritize
issues of campus concern through a student body vote.
This years referendum is slatedto begin the week following
fall break and will remain open until 50 percent of the student
body has voted. For a school ranked 13th most politically active
in the nation by the Princeton Reviews Best 331 College
Rankings, soliciting a 50% percent voter turnout is an often
Herculean task.
Perhaps the most controversial item to be included in this years
referendum is a proposal for unlimited access to the Lorain County
Transit bus service for all students, brought forth by OPIRG. In
order for students to gain unlimited access, students would be forced
to pay an additional $7 fee which would be added to their term bill.
Though this proposal was adopted and supported by last years
senate, this years collection of senators seemed hesitant.
In
a time of uncertain exchange rates, $7 can be a lot of money, especially
for the large number of international students on this campus,
senior senator Shahana Siddiqui said. The fact that students are
not able to opt out of paying the fee regardless of use of the service
didnt rest well with some senators. Abbie Torransky of OPIRG
explained that the $7 fee is based on the estimated $40,000 of additional
revenue Lorain County Transit would need to implement additional
routes and increase service. For any student to take part,
we have to generate enough money to pay for the extra routes and
increased service...which we could not do if students have the option
to not pay, Torransky said.
To begin the funding a majority of those voting in the referendum
must vote in favor of it. If students approve of the measure, it
will be presented to the General Faculty for final consideration.
The senate will finalize the list of additional referendum items
at their retreat this weekend.
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