The Baker University Student Senate executive board ratified its constitution allowing for a total of 41 voting positions, leaving 36 open seats to be filled by incoming petitions.
Kim Kilmartin, student senate president, said changes to the constitution include requiring only one representative from campus housing facilities compared to last year’s two-person requirement. Kilmartin said the changes were influenced by lack of attendance at senate meetings last year.
“Without a sound senate structure or membership, the executive officers felt that it would be impossible to make imperative and emergent reforms to the constitution,” she said. “Each change will make the structure of the senate more efficient and solid.”
Kilmartin said 41 members of senate will have voting privileges: the executive board, made up of the senate president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and public relations officer, as well as one representative from Irwin, Jolliffe, Denious, Gessner, Horn and Markham apartments and off campus. Each greek chapter or colony is required to have one representative as well. There are currently 10 greek organizations on Baker’s campus. Kilmartin said each class is also required to have a president, vice president, secretary/treasurer and two representatives.
Kilmartin said one of the main goals of senate is recreating itself.
“After last year it doesn’t really exist at the moment,” she said. “We want to reestablish it and change its image. We want people to realize it actually does stuff. If students have anything they want to complain about, change, something they feel needs to be addressed, they are more than welcome to come.”
Kilmartin said representatives from student organizations are no longer required to attend because they won’t have voting privileges. However, she said representatives are welcome to attend all meetings and have to appear if they want to request funds from senate.
Public Relations Officer Rebecca Fraley said student senate would like to see students become interested in the organization again.
“We want to do a lot of pretty significant things on campus,” she said. “We are hoping to plan a lot of stuff for the 150th (Anniversary of Baker University).”
Vice President Allyssa King said students need to take advantage of vacant leadership positions available through student senate.
“We want people who want to participate, but we also want people who actually have passion toward student senate and who have passion for Baker University and really want to get involved,” she said.
Kilmartin said students who missed the informational meeting held earlier this week can pick up petitions available in
Student Life Coordinator Kim Hubbel’s office on the third floor of Harter Union. The petitions will be due at 4 p.m. Thursday in Hubbel’s office.
Kilmartin said student senate meetings will resume Sept. 18, after elections have been finalized. She said senate meetings will be held at 8 p.m. Tuesdays in Library room 115; senate meetings were previously held in Mabee, but the room was already booked.