This post regards the first Senate meeting of the year, which happened on September 8th:

Hi friends! My name is Selena and this is my third year as a senator. I blogged for the last three senate meetings last year and I guess I wasn’t crass enough so here I am again. This year however, Senate minutes are up on the website so this will mainly serve as a highlight reel and commentary.

Like my first blog entry last year, I want to start out this one with a description of the Senate’s responsibilities especially since this has shifted in my eyes since last year. I’m going to quote from my first blog in case you’re too lazy to read the “recent entries” (it happens) and because I’m too lazy to write a new description (it happens):

Conventional wisdom contends that all the Senate does is dole out money to campus groups. This claim is only about 50% true. The senate has a considerable responsibility in allocating money from the Comprehensive Fee. Of that whooping $45,000 you may pay a year, the Senate gets 1%. While that seems like a lot of money, the senate funds things you might not think of: ACEMS, Olio, sports teams, Program Board, SoCo, all club budgets, etc. We also sit on faculty committees — like the Committee on Educational Policy, College Council — and Trustee committees. And we’re supposed to accomplish one Senate project. These projects are generally not earth-shattering but make Amherst life a little rosier. For example, the box giveaway at the end of the year is a senate project. Getting DDR in the Campus Center was a proposed Senate Project.

So that was written almost exactly 5 months ago. It’s still true but after one of the Senate meetings last year, I realized we rarely follow one aspect of what the constitution demands which is “[articulate] student voices for advancing action and change.” At this meeting, we passed a resolution censuring the Counseling Center and asking for a review of their services. I’m not sure how much concrete change that resolution created, but it was the only case I remember where we directly represented student voices. Senate resolutions have potential to actually advocate student interests, and this year, senators should take this power more seriously.

Okay, I’m off my high horse and ready to talk about the Senate meetings. What happens between those magical hours of 8:30 and 10:00? First, we take attendance and then the Executive Board members each report. This week, President Nick Pastan described the five billion different initiatives he has going on. VP Raj Borsellino used his Big Brother powers to tell us how many Senators didn’t check Blackboard. Treasurer Peter Tang announced that the Budgetary Committee (BC) has a new website. Secretary Jackie De La Fuente told us about the awesome new grill and the awesome old vans that students can borrow. Judiciary Chair Mike Gutilla described the five trillion clubs wanting official recognition.

After announcements and committee reports, we listen to any speakers we have. This week Interim Dean Hannah Fatemi came in and introduced herself. She is interim-ly replacing Dean Haynes who will be sorely missed. Unfortunately for us, he has taken another position at Drew College. My favorite moment in her appearance was when Chase tried to explain to her that Dean Haynes has a budget and a “budget” from which he has flexibility to allocate money as he wishes.

Next, the Senate looked BC recommendations for the week. This is usually where we spend most of our time, and tonight was no exception. Today the controversial dish was whether or not to fund the water polo team for two or one nights of hotel rooms. Chase very eloquently explained, over and over again, how if water polo has two nights, so should other teams that have to wake up at 4 in the morning. We looked at a smorgasboard of motions and talked a bit until finally it became apparent that the conversation was simply not productive and that the BC should do some research to see how this precedent might affect the Senate. However considering that there was an informal agreement between the BC and the water polo team, we decided to give them their two nights.

In New Business, we appointed a Five College Representative to the Five College Coordinating Board. This appointment raises a lot of good questions. Considering we are a part of this Five College Consortium, what role should the college play as a community of schools? Are we obligated to get to know different students on other campuses? Or does the proximity of the campuses merely provide more classes, someone to blame for the messes Sunday morning, and an excuse for Amherst girls to bitch about man-stealing Mohoes and Smithies? The three candidates, Mason, Haley, and Saumitra, all seemed to think that we are obligated to foster a more encompassing sense of community. Mason wants to pool all of our resources for a Five College Concert. Saumitra bragged about all his Mount Holyoke friends and wants to use this position to help students get to know other students on the different campuses and break the stereotypes we have. Haley echoed Saumitra’s sentiments and called for different events on the campuses. Mason won the election. Without any new business, we adjourned.