SA should invoke new bylaw swiftly
The Student Association passed Bylaw Amendment 13 Monday creating the Committee on Constitutional Reviews, which is assigned the task of periodically reviewing the SA's constitution and by-laws and proposing legislative changes to them (see story, page 7). While the committee can review any aspect of the constitution and bylaws it sees fit, we feel that one of its first tasks should be an assessment of the make-up of the SA; more specifically, we believe that the committee should propose legislation to create more student representation.
The current format of one voting president and one voting senator per college is inadequate for representing a student body as large and diverse as Rice's. There are multiple classes per college, so why not multiple senators? More people equals more ears to listen to a student constituency, as well as more votes for that constituency at the highest level of our student government.
At the same time, there should also be more representation on a campus-wide scale. The fact that all the voting members of the SA are representatives of specific colleges has its merits, but at the same time, the SA could use a voice outside a strict college affiliation. Perhaps there could be a representative from each of the particular academic schools - the music school, the architecture program, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and any other division seen to warrant an SA voice. Or "at large" positions could be created, drawing candidates voted upon by the entire student body.
With its new committee, the SA has the opportunity to expand its campus presence to the greatest possible degree, and it should seize it. More voices cannot be a bad thing if the ultimate goal is for students to be heard.
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