Holly Henry enjoyed serving on the Student Senate until this semester.

Henry, a junior political science major and a Student Senate member for four semesters, sent in her resignation by email Monday.

“I feel like Senate was sliding down a hill that they were trying to climb,” Henry said. “I think internal restraints have been holding the Senate back and instead of helping students, they were just helping themselves.”

Henry said Senate members who would try to start a project, such as having the Panther Shuttle go to Mattoon or implementing the Committee on Bylaw Revision and Adoption, would be shut down before they could be voted on.

“Before COBRA could be introduced near the beginning of the semester, the (Student Senate) speaker told incoming senators that he would rather not have it passed,” Henry said. “After hearing about this, the author decided not to present it to the Senate.”

Henry said she thought there was a bad atmosphere in the Student Senate and that it was very different from previous semesters.

“It seems like, with how the Senate used to be, we were a much more unified group, and now we are divided,” Henry said. “I thought being a Senate member was a great opportunity and I really did enjoy it, but I just wasn’t passionate about it anymore.”

Henry’s resignation was not mentioned at the Senate meeting Wednesday.

Student Senate Speaker Zach Samples, a sophomore history major, refused to comment on why Henry’s resignation was not mentioned.

Jenna Mitchell, a junior political science major and Senate member, co-chaired the Internal Affairs committee with Henry.

The Internal Affairs Committee records Senate member requirements such as attending a Registered Student Organization once a month.

Mitchell said they worked well as co-chairs and she thought it was best for Henry to resign or take time off if she was not enjoying being a Student Senate member anymore.

Two proposals were tabled during the meeting. One was for $225 to pay for travel expenses for Executive Vice President Jarrod Scherle to go to the Illinois Board of Higher Education Student Advisory Committee at Harper University in Palatine.

The other proposal was for $130 to pay for marketing for the spring Pantherpalooza.

Kaci Abolt, a junior communication studies major and the student vice president for student affairs, said the marketing consists of a display case outside of the University Food Court in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union and two laminated sandwich boards.

Rachel Rodgers can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].