James Williams
The Paw Print
The Associated Student and Faculty Senate of Adams State College was created to be a collective voice for the Adams State student and faculty body at the campus, local, and state levels.
Recently, AS&F has made numerous revisions to the Constitution and Bylaws that chief justice and head of the Constitutional Committee Jen Ribar believes will further enable the Senate to be more successful and efficient in achieving the purpose of being the collective voice.
“We started working on the revision of the Constitution in October,” Ribar said, “and we think we’re really close to having it look exactly how we want it to.”
Ribar added that many of the changes have been clerical clarifications to help meetings be more efficient and run more smoothly.
However, Ribar appended that statement to add that there is one major change that will affect a larger number of the student body.
“Basically, we have completely changed directions on the way that clubs will receive funding. We have implemented a point system that will enable the clubs to have a larger hand in how much money they receive, and will put more control in the clubs’ hands to allow them to do only what they want to do, outside of the events that require participation.”
“The new system will be based on participation in certain events, with the points earned being tied to a percentage based on a couple of factors, including which type of event is being participated in. For instance, community service projects will be worth a higher amount of points because we want to continue to encourage participation in that particular category.”
Currently, the Senate recognizes 27 active clubs. Ribar said that feedback from the clubs regarding the new system has been mostly positive.
“The new point system is going to allow clubs to have more control over their funding. For example, let’s say a club only wanted the Senate to give them 50 percent of the funding they want for whatever they are doing. The club is then only going to have to put in half of the work. This is going to enable them to raise funds on their own if that is what they choose to do. We’re not going to force them to participate in a “minor” activity that maybe they don’t want to be involved in. The point system is going to make it more beneficial for clubs to be a part of Senate. Most of the clubs seem to be on board with this change and agree that it’s an improvement on the old system.”
However, Ribar did admit there are still issues that aren’t set in stone. “We are still debating on whether or not clubs will be allowed to vote on Senate bills. Clubs are always going to be able to attend meetings and have their voice heard, though.”
President Jacque Archuleta said that she hopes these changes get people excited to potentially be a part of the Senate as it moves forward. “We are pushing elections back a week, they’re now going to be April 19-20, so hopefully we can get people more involved. Senate’s Legislative and Executive Packets are available in our office, here in the Student Life Center, and will be due by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 9.”
What’s Been Said…