The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

SBCC student senate cuts down on members

There’s been a growing number of students interested in joining the Student Senate since 2009.

In fact, the surplus of prospective applicants has made it necessary to establish basic qualifications for anyone who wants to join.

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“Last year 25 of the 26 spots filled up, which was great,” said Associated Student Senate President Atty Garfinkel, “But we were too big to be effective.”

During a meeting last Friday, the senate voted to amend bylaw 17.A to decrease the number of senators from 18 to 10.

Last year, aside from all but eight executive board chairs filled, 17 of the 18 senator positions were filled. Despite support for City College students sudden interest in politics, this situation wasn’t necessarily considered a blessing for the board.

Right now there are so many students that there’s literally no room at the table for them all, Garfinkel said.

That forced the senate to spend more of their alloted funds than normal.

When the senators hugely outnumbered the executive board, senators took on officer projects instead of just assisting them.

The problem with these circumstances is that because there were numerous people covering the same project, members began to get comfortable and slack off on their duties.

“We need the senators to help the officers with their projects,” Garfinkel said.

This year, the senate is adamant about making a change in order to be more effective for the student body as a whole.

Of the ten senator chairs open this semester, only two are currently filled.

Senators must be taking a minimum of five semester units, in addition to having a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher.

A senator’s obligations consume anywhere between three and 17 hours each week, depending on involvement.

Garfinkel emphasizes both the importance of education and the time management issues that come with being part of the senate.

“We are all students first,” Garfinkel said.

Senate applications can be obtained from Amy Collins in the Office of Student Life. Signatures from 200 students and three teachers must then be collected, followed by nomination by one vice president and one dean.

The application then goes back to Collins for review.

If an application is submitted on or before Monday, it will be reviewed by the board during the student senate meeting the Friday of that week.

An interview with sitting members is also required.

“There’s no reason to not be proactive and be involved in making our school a better place,” Garfinkel said.

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