If some student senators were planning to slack off during the upcoming year, they may want to reconsider.
Student Body Vice President Austin Prentice and Senate Parliamentarian Joseph Esau have both set goals to get senators actively involved in Student Senate.
“I’m hoping for a lot from [this year’s Student Senate],” Prentice said.
“In years past, they’ve kind of been let off the hook with mediocrity.”
Prentice wants to see each senator write at least one piece of legislation during the year.
Senators are not required to write any legislation, and many past senators did not write legislation during their tenure in office.
“I don’t expect [Senate] to be just a resume booster at all,” Prentice said.
“I expect you to actually put in, to help, to give input, to write legislation. I really want to encourage senators to write legislation. I mean, that’s the most important part of Senate… getting a voice out there and getting a debate going.”
Esau said he wants to see senators “take initiative” this year instead of having Senate officers try to motivate them.
“I would like to mentor them and teach them the motions and procedures of the Senate,” Esau wrote in an e-mail.
Student Body Secretary Katie Perkins wants to see more senators in the Student Senate’s SAMSA office.
“I don’t think people realize, like, I’m always in here,” she said, “and there’s a lot of people that come in here asking questions, looking for people, looking for answers, and a lot of time, there’s not somebody here to answer their questions. I think as senators, that’s our job–to be here and be able to answer those questions.”
Senators underwent training last Tuesday where senate officers laid out their expectations for the year.
The first Student Senate meeting will take place Aug. 31 in the Hughes-Trigg Forum at 3:30 p.m.
Prentice said he wants to “start on day one and hit the ground running.”
“My goal for the whole year is I don’t want anything to fall through the loopholes,” he said.
“I don’t want anything to be missed. I don’t want anyone to look back on anything and say ‘Well, shoot, we should have done that differently’ or ‘We were not prepared for that.’ So I’m really making sure that we, as a Senate, are ready for Senate.”
