Student Senate plans to open up positions of three committees to the general campus community starting this academic year, according to junior Cameron Black, Student Senate Vice President.
An open forum for open committee positions was held Oct. 6th at 7:30 p.m. Appointments to the different committees will be finalized no later than Oct. 15.
Once the committees are filled, the committee meetings will then be closed unless permission is requested prior to the hearings or meetings, Black said.
“Student Senate’s focus for this year is greater visibility and participation on campus,” Black said. “This past academic year, most of campus recognized that Student Senate had more influence and resources than many students – and even faculty – believed they had.”
Tiger Fund, Build a Better Wittenberg and Public Relations are the three committees that will be opening up the student body.
Tiger Fund and Build a Better Wittenberg are financial resources for student organizations and anyone outside the realm of student organizations; each organization holds hearings for proposals submitted through the appropriate Wufoo.com links.
Public Relations has an annual operating budget, primarily advertises for campus events sponsored by Student Senate and publicizes key votes and funding allocations.
“Opening up three important senate related committees marks the progression of transparency,” Black said. “These vital committees are no longer reserved for those in class government, but anyone who has the ambition to make the Wittenberg student experience better.”
The decision to open up the committees was made after the senate members discussed their individual visions to allow Student Senate to change for the better, according to Black.
Black said that most members, in their new vision for Student Senate, cited increased awareness about both the decisions that Student Senate makes and the resources that Student Senate has as prominent goals for this academic year.
“Needless to say, Senate’s role on campus has been understated at times, but for the past three years Senate has been active in every facet possible,” Black said. “If we are making decisions that have large impacts on the campus community, people need to be aware of what we do so we can be accountable to the students we represent.”
The committee hours are every other Friday, and all committee members are expected to attend each meeting. Each meeting usually lasts no more than two hours.
The expected time commitment for committee members is between 10 and 12 hours a semester.
