Here to empower your Senate

We, in student government, dedicate much of our college career to serving you, our fellow students. At SMU, we are blessed with a very empowered Student Senate. In such, three of our biggest responsibilities are the allocation of student fees, the recognition (chartership) of student organizations, and increasing diversity on our campus. In yesterday’s Student Senate meeting, I presented three groups of students who will be addressing these important responsibilities. These groups will be meeting all semester to research their issues and will report back to the Student Senate with recommendations in the spring. I’ve included an outline of the agendas of these three groups below.

Appropriations Process and

Standards

The big question this group will answer is: How can we improve the annual budget process and appropriations standards to better serve student groups? When we allocate your money to student organizations, we ought to have three concerns:

– is the allocation an appropriate use of students’ dollars;

– is there fairness to all student groups, and therefore all students

– what are the long term consequences of any appropriation (educational value, etc.)?

Any procedures or guidelines related to this process ought to be for the efficient addressing of these student concerns.

Thus, because the Student Senate is the steward of the students’ money, not programmers or program inhibitors, the students looking in to improving the appropriation process are those that have a background in programming. It is my hope that the revised process will empower students to do many more programs and activities.

Student Group Recognition and

Support

This group’s tasks are to develop a new student organization recognition process and to address any necessary changes in the appropriate documents. Issues likely to come up in this group include:

– an organizational policy home for religious greek organizations;

– possibilities related to a tiered organizational recognition system;

– the purpose of offering listed status; and

– support to and communication with student groups.

Senate Diversity Committee

When I ran for student body president, I promised a task force to look into the Student Senate’s internal problems related to diversity. In order to carry out that pledge, I have developed specific charges and questions for the Student Senate Diversity Committee. Specifically, I have asked the Diversity Committee to address the following issues:

– the purpose and role of the Diversity Committee, Diversity Committee chair and Special Interest Senators;

– the merits of a “diversity requirement” for the members of your student senate;

– funding to cultural groups; and

– the Student Senate’s relationship with the Department of Multicultural Student Affairs.

Look for more information on this committee’s goals, as well as the goals of the other nine standing committees in a Daily Campus commentary next week by Senate Chief of Staff Chip Hiemenz.

Conclusion

You will be hearing more about these three groups as the year goes on. Big thanks to my fellow student body officers, Lyndsey Hummert and Ashley Earnest, the Student Senate officers, Chip Hiemenz, Adam Hill, and Jeff Pope, and three Student Senate committee chairs, Jared Dovers, Jennifer McDowell and Les Williamson. A huge thank you and good luck to the chairs of these special task forces: Dedman II Senator Andrew Baker (Student Group Recognition & Support) and Clayton Smith (Appropriations Process & Standards).

Well, if you have made it this far, I am truly impressed – this commentary wasn’t exactly my most exciting, but hopefully it was informative.

These goals, in addition to many others including the ones mentioned in yesterday’s and last week’s papers, help make it a promising year for the students of SMU.