There were openings on the CAP, the BC, the search committee for a new director of Information Technology (IT) and the Five College Student Coordinating Committee. The agenda indicated that the senate would elect representatives to each of the committees, but senator Elan Ghazal '05 motioned to delay the committee elections because the first-year senators had just learned about the committees. "We owe [first-year senators] time to prepare their statements," he said.
The motion was passed after senators amended it to delay the voting on all committees except the CAP and the BC, which are time sensitive. Eight people were nominated for the CAP. The senate elected senator Mike Simmons '06E and senator Jake Thomas '07. The senate nominated three people for the BC, and elected Spencer Robins '08.
Debate surrounding the proposed $6,030.00 allocation to the ski team stemmed from a similar debate that occurred last year. Last fall, the senate decided not to fund the ski team because it required a large allocation to support what many on the senate perceived as a small and exclusive group of people.
This year, however, the BC recommended giving the ski team the full amount it requested. "The attitude of the BC changed," said Treasurer Ian Shin '06. The ski team asked for the money to help pay the registration and dues associated with sending 10 of each male and female skiers to competitions. Ghazal motioned to send the issue back to the BC so that the BC could report back on the costs of comparable club sports and the differences in the cost of sending fewer racers.
Senators expressed strong opinions both in favor of allocating the money for the ski team and of sending the issue back to the BC. President Ryan Park '05 noted that the ski team had already scaled back the amount that they requested. "I would argue against committing this back to the BC," said Park.
The senate voted to send the issue back to the BC. All of the BC's other recommendations, totaling $4282.06 passed without amendment.
A total of 431 students voted in the Oct. 14 election which included first-year senator elections and four proposed constitutional changes.
First-year students elected Ali Kahn and Spencer Robins with 11 percent of first-year voters each, Raj Borsellino with 10 percent, Avery Armour, Josh Stein and Daniel de Zeeuw each with eight percent, Ali Berman with seven percent and Erika Sams with six percent of the total first-year votes.
The student body approved all four constitutional amendments as well. The referendum to elect the executive branch and the chair of the judiciary council on the first Tuesday of April and to elect senate and judiciary council positions on the third Tuesday of April was approved by 80 percent of voters. Eighty-eight percent of voters voted that the senate hold elections for vacant positions in the senate, executive branch and judiciary council on the third Tuesday of February. Fifty-five percent of voters supported the change requiring write-in candidates to receive at least five percent of the votes in order to win a senate seat; the senate seat will remain vacant if no candidate receives the requisite five percent. Finally, eighty-eight percent of voters wanted the elections chair, in the case of a run-off election between write-in candidates, to require that the candidates confirm their desire to remain in the election.