Senate continues constitutional review

A proposed amendment to Student Senate’s constitution dominated discussion at Monday Night’s Students Senate meeting.

The proposed amendment would change the number of senator positions that would be open. There would be three positions open for each school rather than eight, and each dorm would also have a representative.

Morgan Nelson, Student Senate President, said that the committee hopes by cutting the maximum number of senators allowed, students will see the value of being on senate and competition for a seat will increase.

Susan Schaeffer, associate professor of counseling, psychology, and social work, said that the reason they wanted to add representatives from the dorms is because they hope to invite in more people and get a larger group interested in student senate.

Hannah Clark, Junior Senator of Liberal Arts, asked how a senator would be chosen out of Kent Hall, since most residents in Kent are freshman.

Nelson said that the constitutional committee has searched the constitution to see why the junior senator position exists. Rissler said that the wording in confusing in the constitution as, in one portion, it is said that a student needs to have finished 12 credit hours, while in another portion it says one only needs to be enrolled in 12 credits to be a full senator. Rissler said this opens the position of senator to freshman students.

James Bahensky added that they were not lowering the requirement to be a senator, rather they would allow students taking 12 credit hours to open the position to more students.

Rissler said that having once been a junior senator himself, he feels the position is pointless anyway.

Nisha Durand, Chief Justice, said there have been suggestions such as a training process for freshman interested in becoming a senator, rather than having them serve as a junior senator.

Riley Machal, Student Trustee, said that most freshman would be more interested in getting used to the campus and classes, than getting involved in student politics. Machal suggested that whoever was to represent Kent should be an RA rather than a freshman. Nelson replied that the committee was hesitant to let RAs take on extra duties on top of what they already have.

Corey Paz motioned to table the discussion until the next meeting. Bahensky said that they would take the amendment back to the committee and return next week with a re-done amendment.

In other matters, Nelson said that the Portfolios Student Senate ordered came in, however, rather than being $8.50, the portfolios were $12.50, and so they only got 32 instead of 50 like originally planned.

T.J. Thomson, Treasurer said that Budget hearings begin Thursday. He also said there is $21,381 in un-allocated funds.

Bahensky said that there is an end of the year barbeque being planned by The Pit which would included a Nearly Naked Mile. Sean Munger, who is helping plan the event, said that the Nearly Naked Mile would include a clothing drive. To participate, a student can donate one piece of clothing, and to get a free t-shirt, students can donate five pieces of clothing.

Bahensky also said that the event would include a bonfire, hot tubs, and slip and slides.

Bahensky asked Student Senate to allocate $7,000 dollars for the end of the year barbeque, and also asked for an extra $1,500 to go towards Release.

Thomson also asked to allocate $300 to purchase paper and letterhead for the CAB/Senate Offices next year.

Durand said she received a petition from Tiffani Roelle to become a full-time senator. Roelle said that since she’d transferred, she has received a greater understanding of campus activities, and would like to better represent the liberal arts school by being a full-time senator.

Luke Wright, CAB president, said that Sunday is free movie night, and that a second free movie night was planned for next week for the Hunger Games. He also said that they were looking for volunteers for Scholastics Day.