ASG’s Executive Committee gave three of NU’s largest student groups alternate senator spots Monday night, quelling some complaints that arose after seven student groups lost senators at the end of Spring Quarter.
Group executives granted For Members Only, Alianza and Women’s Coalition alternate student group status. If a current student group senator loses his or her spot because of absences or other circumstances, the student group will lose its seat as well. Associated Student Government President Jordan Heinz said this is the first time the system of alternate senators has been used.
The committee ranked the groups so that FMO will get the first senator spot that becomes available, Women’s Co will get the second and Alianza the third.
ASG Executive Vice President Srikanth Reddy said the committee ranked them on the basis of which group’s interests were most underrepresented in the Senate.
Women’s Co member Blaine Bookey said other Women’s Co members in the Senate will represent the group’s concerns. For example, off-campus Sen. Nell Haynes, a Speech junior, sponsored a bill introduced Wednesday to improve campus lighting.
“It shouldn’t have to take a Women’s Co senator to have something like that pushed faster, but in reality that’s what it takes,” said Bookey, an Education junior.
FMO Coordinator Tiffany Berry said that although she hopes her group can get a senator, she dislikes the circumstances under which it would have to occur.
“It’s unfortunate that in order for us to get a senator, we have to sit around and wait for someone to get kicked off Senate,” said Berry, a Weinberg junior. “On top of that, we need to be ranked before Alianza and Women’s Co, which are two groups FMO is trying to become more connected to.”
Alianza President Katherine Unmuth said she hopes an Alianza senator would be able to get involved in the push for a Latino studies minor, something former Alianza Sen. Rachel Lopez worked on last year.
“It’s important to have a variety of voices represented in student government,” said Unmuth, a Medill junior. “All of these groups, they’re large groups, they represent important points of view.”
The system for student groups differs from that of residence halls, in which dorm governments can appoint a new senator.
“With residential hall senators, that makes sure everyone is represented at least once,” said ASG Rules Chair Mandy Stilmock. “Student group is like a second representation … It’s (the group’s) responsibility to appoint a responsible senator.”
With 22 senator spots available for more than 80 eligible student groups, there can be competition for the positions, said Reddy, a McCormick junior. Last year eight student groups were denied spots and six others lost spots after forgetting to apply.
Several student group senators already have one-and-a-half absences, said Stilmock, a Weinberg junior. Senators who have two absences must appeal to the Rules Committee to regain their seats.
Two groups already have appealed absences this year after only five meetings, Stilmock said.
Student groups whose senators resign can appoint new senators, as the Arab Cultural Society and Best Buddies have done this year. The senators keep the absences of their predecessors, however.
Reddy said he hoped this system would increase the student group senators’ accountability.
“It encourages them to have high accountability for the senator … to encourage greater participation in ASG,” Reddy said.
