ASB Plans to Reform Student Senate

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       At the suggestion of ASB president Ishan Sharma and ASB vice president Micheal Munson, the Student Senate will be reforming in the hopes of getting more participation from the student body.

       At the beginning of every school year two students are chosen from each of the third period classes to be the Senators for said class. Once they are chosen, Senators are supposed to attend meetings in the ASB room during tutorial. At these meetings students discuss everything from the morning announcements to winter formal tickets. This provides ASB a chance to get input from the rest of the students as well as give information for the Senators to pass on to their third period classes.

       Student Senate is intended to be an easy way to get information out to the student body. However, having meetings during tutorial has caused problems with attendance.

[Attendance] wasn’t really consistent at all and no one really came to the meetings. Overall it just wasn’t a very efficient system. We figured it wasn’t working and if we were going to have a student senate it it should actually help [ASB] and actually mean something. That’s why we decided to revise the process.

— Michael Munson, Senior

The new Student Senate will be much smaller. Instead of requiring each third period class to have a representative, Senators will now be asked to apply. Although the numbers have not been finalized ASB is expecting to have twenty to thirty Student Senators. Representing each grade, Student Senators will meet at lunch instead of tutorial. At these meetings they will no longer be required to bring information back to their classes. Instead they will be in charge of giving ASB input as well as helping to promote events.  Once this change takes place the purpose of the student senate will change.

[Student Senate] is going to turn into more of an input group rather than an output group because, while we will certainly encourage them to go out and tell people they won’t be assigned to a specific group to do that.”

— Mr. Morse, ASB Advisor

       To replace the Senators as an information source ASB will continue their other means of advertising. Announcements for events can be seen online, on the bulletin boards and decorating the cross bard in the main hallway.

       With new meeting times, fewer, more committed members and different obligations ASB hopes that this new Student Senate will be better equipped to represent the student body.