A third proposal to restructure Associated Student Government Senate was introduced at Wednesday’s meeting by Senator Aaron Zelikovich, a Weinberg freshman. The plan calls for a reduction of the off-campus caucus, a possible reduction of the Greek caucus and stricter election rules for the student group caucus. In addition, Zelikovich proposed the creation of a committee to review the progress of restructuring next winter.
According to Zelikovich’s proposal, the number of off-campus senators would be reduced from eight to six. Three seats would be granted to seniors, two to juniors and one to a sophomore to “mimic the off-campus feel.”
Although Zelikovich proposed cutting the number of Greek representatives by two, he said he will talk more with Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic representatives before finalizing his proposal. IFC President Andrew Duble, a Weinberg junior, said he and Zelikovich are discussing an amendment to retain the current number of caucus seats.
“I was very interested in Aaron’s proposal and I think it’s a step in the right direction,” Duble said. “If we are reduced proportionally in regard to other student groups, then we are okay with that.”
During the question and answer session of the presentation, senator Isaac Hasson expressed his concerns that the Greek caucus is overrepresented, currently holding 12 out of 49 seats. The Weinberg sophomore advocated further cuts, saying Greek senators too often unexpectedly leave their positions.
“There are perpetually high vacancy rates in the Greek caucus,” Hasson said. “We want as low turnover as possible. There’s pretty much consensus that Senate needs to be reduced by even more seats. I think it’s unfair to cut other parts and not cut the Greek caucus as much.”
But Zelikovich said there is no pattern of vacancy in the Greek caucus.
“The reason we have so many is because we need to make sure the voice of the Greek community is heard,” he said of the number of Greek seats. “They are 40 percent of campus, and they are an important part of campus. There’s no question of that, so to reduce their seats would be unfair to not only the Greeks but to the student body in general.”
Zelikovich’s proposal targets the issue of vacancies in the student groups caucus. To curb senator turnover rates, the plan states that any student group that does not fill a vacancy within a week would lose its seat.
“We need to make sure that seats are valued,” Zelikovich said. “It’s only to prevent student groups from not caring and leaving a seat open, when another student group could come and utilize that seat and make a better impact on student life at Northwestern.”
Hasson said he agreed with the vacancy provision.
“It’s an excellent idea because it’s just so unfortunate that people run for seats and then don’t take them seriously,” Hasson said. “I think that is probably the best part of this bill.”
Furthermore, Zelikovich said he seeks to democratize the caucus by requiring each student group to disclose its election methods to Senate for approval during the application process.
Zelikovich’s plan does not propose any changes to the Residential Housing Association/Residential College Board caucus. Hasson said he believes this caucus also has high vacancy rates that should be addressed. Furthermore, Hasson, who plans on introducing his own proposal – the fourth – next week, said Senate as a whole should be reduced more drastically.
However, Zelikovich said the RHA/RCB caucus already has a system of “checks and balances” because its senators are directly elected by constituents, making it responsive to voters.
“They do a great job internally,” he said. “RHA/RCB has some of the best senators that we have and due to the fact that they elect their senators they are much more inclined to be responsive to students as a whole and not only their exec boards. The students know who they are and they can go reach out to them.”
More importantly, Zelikovich said he does not believe ASG restructuring should focus on the number of senators.
“Why are we trying to reform Senate?” he asked. “It’s not to cut seats. It’s to improve the accountability of senators in ASG.”
Senate will debate and vote on each proposal next week.
