Members of the Student Confederation discussed restructuring the governing body to maximize effectiveness at a hearing held by the SC's Committee on Government Operations Monday.
"We're trying to better define the purpose of the SC ... so [it's] structured around what we need to get done," said committee chair Ben Murray. This includes consolidating some of the current committees and reorganizing their responsibilities.
New bylaws, which dictate the structure of the body, must be created to accompany the new constitution that was adopted last semester.
"Anything can change," Murray said of the bylaws.
The current eight committees could be consolidated into five or six.
The bylaws could structure the assembly to "put more power in the committees because they're specialized to deal with [certain topics]," Murray said.
Specific responsibilities of each committee have not been defined, but Murray said tentatively that separate committees could center around topics including student life, University policy, academics and student government's internal affairs.
For special projects, the committees could create subcommittees, Murray said.
About 25 people attended the hearing, Murray estimates. While anyone was invited, most were members of student government.
The group discussed moving the Kennedy Political Union and the Student Union Board under the office of the vice president. They are currently under the president.
SC Vice President Jason Trombley suggested adding athletic and alumni liaisons to the vice president's cabinet. He said the positions used to exist and are worth bringing back to enhance school spirit and attendance at athletic events.
The group discussed the elimination of the Diversity Action Team, which SC President Polson Kanneth said "does not serve a purpose within [the SC]."
"It should be struck down as an individual entity from the cabinet structure, and it should be incorporated into an overall outreach position," Kanneth said.
No one at the hearing opposed cutting the program, Murray said.
Committee consolidations are part of the major changes the new constitution and bylaws dictate. When the constitution takes effect, the SC will be renamed Student Government, and the General Assembly will be the Undergraduate Senate. The Undergraduate Senate will have 30 members, down from 40 in the current GA.
The US will include five senators from each class, four at-large, two from the College of Arts and Sciences and one from all other schools, The Eagle previously reported.
The Committee on Government Operations plans to hire a professional parliamentarian to draw up the bylaws. Murray said that it would take too much time for full-time students, many of whom have internships, jobs and other time commitments, to write them.
Kanneth, a senior in the School of Communication, looks ahead to the "hard task" of creating coordinating bylaws. At this meeting, he said, the panel would "hear from at least our point of view what should be done."
Kanneth said he was pleased with the discussion at the hearing. "Things went very well. We really want to makes sure that things are streamlined and that student government continues to work."
Eagle Staff Writer Melinda C. Hall contributed to this report.
