Understanding how Student Senate works can be confusing but here are some basics to the student governing body.
Even students who were involved with student government in high school could get confused by how things work at an Ohio University Student Senate meeting.
Here are the basics about the student governing body here at OU.
“It's an avenue where passionate students can go forth to make change on campus, and not only their college experience, but the lives of other students as well and advocate for their peers,” Senate President Hannah Clouser said, defining the body.
Student Senate meets every Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. in room 235 of Walter Hall for its general body meeting. There, guests can present to the body, students can speak out about things happening around campus and the Senate members can vote on resolutions.
If the Senate sees an issue on campus and wants to take a stance on behalf of the student body, members can pass a resolution, which is “essentially a fancy piece of paper” that will then be sent to administration or other people involved with the issue, Clouser said.
Student Senate also follows parliamentary procedure, meaning its general body meetings have a formal structure that is used by other bodies of government.
Student Senate also has 12 commissions that span across the university, Jivanto van Hemert, the graduate assistant for senate, said. Commissions include LGBTQA, Environmental Affairs and Residence Life, and focus on issues affecting those areas of campus. They also plan programs such as Pride Week.
Senate members for the 2016-17 academic year were elected by the student body in late March, but other students can get involved as non-voting members by applying for staff positions or join the internship program.
The internship program allows students to test out the different commissions to see where they might be the best fit, Clouser said.
The body also controls the Senate Appropriations Commission. SAC, as the commission is commonly known, is responsible for allocating funds to different student organizations on campus.
“We want to really involve the student organizations; we can really help them through SAC,” Senate Treasurer Steve Lichtenfels said.
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Senate's office is located in room 305 of Baker Center.
“Our door is always open for anyone to come in,” Clouser said. “Anytime you have an issue, we’re there for you to advocate to the administration on your behalf.”
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