With the start of the new school year, Student Senate will begin its first term under the new constitution that they approved last spring. The new constitution ushers in a number of internal structural changes and a reorientation of the Senate’s goals.

Ian Hower ’16, president of Student Senate, and Michele Metcalf ’16, director of Campus Life and Initiatives, said that many of the changes are aimed at empowering students and senators who do not serve in executive positions, increasing diversity in the general assembly, and improving the organization’s relationship with the college administration.

According to Hower, the new constitution changes Senate from a centralized, executive-led organization to a decentralized organization. In the new structure, every senator has a specific job and the Executive Committee delegates responsibilities. This allows each member of Senate to have a “substantive impact on campus,” Hower said, even first-year members.

Metcalf said that some executive responsibilities have been “dispersed” to committees.

“This prevents burn-out [for executive members] and allows senators to gain more experience,” Metcalf explained.

Senate is also beginning to establish closer relationships with the Student Leadership and Campus Engagement and to change their relationship with student groups. Although Senate controls the budget for campus clubs and organizations, they envision a cooperative rather than a managerial relationship.

“We don’t want to have oversight,” Hower said. “That’s not our job. [Student organizations] should be independent.” He would like Senate to promote collaboration not just between Senate and other organizations, but also between the various organizations themselves.

Senate also hopes to change their public perception and increase student involvement in their weekly meetings.

They created a Public Relations and Marketing Committee and changed the rules of their meetings so all students have speaking ability in attempt to encourage broader student engagement.

Senate also hopes to increase their diversity to better reflect the student body they represent. Metcalf said that an analysis of Senate members this spring showed that the body was “very insular” and made up of “like-minded” students.

“[Our study found that] the Senate was largely political science majors, white students, but really no diversity,” Metcalf said. “It was very insular. With the new constitution we’re really hoping to reach out to the entire student body.”

To that end, Senate plans to change election operations this coming spring and increase student voter turnout. Tables will be set up in the HUB where students can vote, replacing the current online voting system. This is in order to make voting more convenient and therefore, they hope, more important to students.

Metcalf said they have also changed the qualifications for running for Senate office.

“We changed the election process so there are fewer signatures required for first years to get on the ballot,” Metcalf said. “There are more signatures required for executive positions – we want students to demonstrate seriousness and dedication to the position.”

The constitution also eliminates the experience requirements for certain cabinet-level positions. The old constitution required that candidates have 2-3 years of senate experience to be president and at least two semesters to hold other executive positions positions.

“We thought [these requirements] weren’t helping our goal of attracting a more diverse population,” Metcalf said.

Finally, Metcalf noted that many of the changes come with the support of the administration, and that Senate hopes to improve their relationship with administrators this year. .

“We’re trying to form a strong bond with the administration because they are pro-student,” Metcalf said. “We had Dean [of Student Life Joyce] Bylander and President [Nancy] Roseman at our executive retreat, and they’re just as excited about our changes as we are.”The drafting of a new constitution took three months, with a substantial effort from everyone involved. Hower emphasizes it is a long-term change, and that the full effects may not be realized for another three years.

“It’s kind of like trying to turn an aircraft carrier while still building the steering gear,” Hower said. But he remains hopeful that the changes in Senate will make students “really energized about senate and seeing that they can actually make a tangible difference.”

Senate is continuing to add to its membership through the election of the First Year Class President, the First Year Enrollment and Student Life Committee Senator, and the seven Firsty Year Class Senators. Voting for these positions begins at 8 a.m. Sept. 13 and ends at 4 p.m. Sept. 14.