Council votes in student senate
Students have more input in department curriculum decisions
By Rashmi Nijagal
The undergraduate student government council unanimously passed
a resolution in support of the Student Departmental Senate Tuesday
night.
The resolution, which had been tabled for the past two weeks for
revisions, calls for the implementation of the senate in all
departments of the College of Letters & Science.
Organizers said they hope students will have more voice in
shaping their studies and other academic decisions through the
senate.
The senate would serve as a link between the Academic Senate,
the main academic decision-making body, and the student body.
Students would have more input in their departments concerning
decisions about curriculum, special programs and student-initiated
courses.
Though the student senate is still in its developmental stages,
directors of the senate are hoping that students will become
involved.
"We want to get the students who are interested and get them
working on creating the senate," said Jennifer Brandon, a
fourth-year communication studies student and chief of staff of the
Academic Affairs Commission.
Organizers are hoping to eventually implement the program
throughout the entire university after it has been developed in all
Letters & Science departments.
Versions of the senate have been in existence in the Art History
Undergraduate Student Association, which is serving as a model for
the new senate.