Senate to discuss solutions to open seats

Zoë Donovan, Staff Reporter

Eastern’s Student Senate will address plans to recruit new student senators at its 7 p.m. meeting Wednesday in the Arcola/Tuscola room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

The senate is looking for applications for spring semester, and it has tentative plans for tabling events, passing out advertising and getting the word out on social media.

There are several senate seats open.

“Off the top of my head, we have somewhere around 10 or 12 seats open,” Perri said. 

Last week the senate was supposed to see speaker nominations, but it did not make quorum and was unable to conduct any official business.

Currently, the executive board, including current speaker Michael Perri and Student Senate adviser Ceci Brinker are in the process of working through this problem.

Perri said that one suggestion they have been looking at is to have the first two meetings of the spring semester dedicated to nominations and voting for the Student Senate speaker.

During that time, the senate would have an interim speaker of senate while nominations and voting took place.

If the senate is able to have an official meeting on Wednesday, Student Body President Carson Gordon will announce the election results

Student Senate will also hear the State of the Senate and the State of the University addresses.

According the agenda sent out Monday night, Mark Hudson, director of university housing and dining services, will address the senate in the audience participation segment of the meeting.

The Diversity Action Council will also ask for funding for events next semester because it is not a line item, Perri said.

Perri said a bill for funds regarding the upcoming “de-stress before the test” event happening after Thanksgiving break is a break for students before exams.

The senate will also hear reports from the following committees: Academic Affairs, Alumni Relations, Business Affairs, Diversity Affairs, External Relations, Internal Affairs, Student Affairs and University Enhancement.

Zoë Donovan can be reached at 581–2812 or at [email protected].