For the first time in about 20 years, Ohio University Student Senate appointed a Judicial Panel to oversee the body.
The nine-member Judicial Panel will be responsible for judging the actions of Student Senate, ensuring that the Rules and Procedures are followed efficiently, and generally seeing that senate is working as effectively as possible.
“The Judicial Panel will give senate a better way to operate,” Matthew Thomas, the panel’s Clerk of Court, said. “We’re going to work hard to improve senate as a whole.”
As the Clerk of Court, Thomas is responsible for communication between senate and the Judicial Panel, which means he attends both groups' meetings, and is the primary contact for anyone looking to reach out to the panel. He also has voting power.
Other members appointed to the panel on Sept. 14 include: Shawndea Woods, Kurt Rollins, Alexis Mroczka, Bess Sommerfelt, Walter Milhoan, Danielle Rich and Lauren Boulding.
"They will remain on (the panel) until they either quit or graduate, which will help continuity throughout the years," Student Senate President Hannah Clouser said. "So when we have a new body elected, we generally are following the same rules."
The group hasn't formally met yet and it typically meets separately to discuss any changes to Student Senate.
Rollins, a senior on the Judicial Panel, said the goal of the creation of the panel is to establish a system of checks and balances.
Any time senate wants to modify Rules and Procedures, the body must go through the Judicial Panel. Additionally, if a senator is to be impeached, it’s up to the Judicial Panel to decide if there is a basis for impeachment. If the Judicial Panel makes any decisions that the senate disagrees with, the senate must vote to overrule them.
"If we say no it goes back to senate and they have to vote to overrule us," Rollins said.
Last year, Clouser initiated the creation of an exploratory committee focusing on what could be done to improve senate.
“The senate is a student group and everyone knows each other,” Clouser said. “There was a lot of potential for unfair bias. By creating the Judicial Panel, which is removed from senate, there will be another body that is impartial.”
Clouser said she expects that there will be a great deal of rule changes now that the Judicial Panel has been appointed. Many people on senate said they were excited about the creation of the panel.
“I’m really excited for this opportunity,” Rollins said. “This is great for everyone on the Judicial Panel, in the senate and all of the students here.”
With eight new student judiciaries appointed to the panel, a single vacancy remains.
“If anyone wants it, they can apply,” Chief Justice Hashim Pashtun said.
