Last Wednesday, a paradigm shift was presented to the Student Senate. Collectively, new and veteran senators alike support this face lift to the way the Senate will function and consequently the Student Government (SG).
You would think the Senate would serve as the voice of the student body. Yet too many senators represent their own personal interests over their constituencies and as such, communication between the executive and legislative branches of SG have soured over the past few years. It has been envisioned that by making changes to the standing committees of Senate and the elections of senators that this will bring a greater amount of clarity to the legislative process.
These changes will enhance the credibility of senators by reworking the standing committees of Senate. A revamping of these forums will better allow senators to follow up on specific initiatives. Furthermore, senators would be organized into relevant standing committees by the seat that they were elected into; by taking this action, this ensures that the student voice is being heard equitably. Officers of the Executive Branch will be integrated into standing committees to keep the lines of communication open. Even though Senate will be more structured, all senators will have the opportunity to make their opinion and experience heard both in standing committees and on the Senate floor on all matters.
This was inspired by the failure of communication between the legislative and executive branches, a sense of hubris among senators, and lack of vocal representation of the student body. Undertaken and planned by members of both the legislative and executive branches, this reform is passionately supported by members across student government – but your voice is still needed.
Come to the UC Ballrooms C & D at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday for the opportunity to enact these changes. We encourage you to contact your senator by going to the SG site or, even better, come and voice your opinion so that your voice will be heard in the future.
Austin James Sedaghatpour is the College of Arts and Science senator.