Senator Rania Arja '06 said that last spring she grew fed up with what she saw as under-active senators and uninspired senate projects. "Either they got done at the last minute and one person did the work," she said, "or they didn't get done at all."
Under last year's system each class of senators would collaborate on one project to benefit their class and one to benefit the whole school. By making each senator responsible for an individual project, Arja imagined the senate would tap into dormant ideas. "We'd have 32 new things annually for the student body."
But has the amendment brought about the expected flurry of senate activity? After a year the jury is still out on how fundamentally changed the senator projects are.
For one thing, the total number of projects is less than half Arja's projection, since the amendment allowed up to four senators to combine their efforts and a majority of them did so.
Four of those projects were capital purchases including new DVDs as well as the annually popular provision of packing boxes. Thanks to two separate projects, the Amherst Association of Students (AAS) will spend almost $5,000, actually, on 3,000 boxes to help students ship and store their belongings at semester's end.
In a less traditional vein, some senators worked to bring prominent figures to campus, including an escaped Sudanese slave and former United States congressmen.
The events were well-attended but some senators were concerned that they pertained more to distinct student organizations. "Too many senators have done projects spoon-fed to them by organizations or students interested in obtaining funding from the Senate Fund," said Senator Mira Serrill-Robins '06, while lauding the work of certain motivated senators.
Finally, a majority of the senator projects were not events or purchases but reports on information gathered by individual senators. Student representatives investigated the viability of premium channels on campus cable, a student body retreat, regular funding for the musical, a DVD catalog for browsing and a Web site listing books required for each class. Other groups of senators consulted with students and staff to issue reports on the place of the Career Center, the Health Center and sexual assault in the life of the campus.
Treasurer Richa Bhala '07 hopes the accumulation of such information will be a valuable resource for future generations of students. "It would be awesome if the AAS had a body of reports to look to," she said, "to know what has been tried and what hasn't, and to preserve the knowledge gained by the struggle if not victory."
A number of senators expressed a sense that the new system of senator projects has shaken awake some of the organization's "dead weight," but others voiced concern that the Judiciary Council (JC) has not fulfilled its role as check on the legitimacy of projects.
"The fact that the JC has used such limited oversight," said Bhala, "means that just about anything can qualify as a senate project."
Furthermore, the consequences of not doing a project-ineligibility to run again for senator-have not stopped some senators from neglecting the duty. Senators Mike Donovan '08 and Tim Zeiser '07 did not complete projects and are not seeking reelection for next year. Senior Senators Rob Cobbs '06 and Andrew Gehring '06 also failed to complete projects and will be graduating next month.
"The enforcement mechanism is not allowing people to run," pointed out Senator Emily Silberstein '06, "but since no one wants to run for senate, this isn't really an issue."
Many senators lamented the loss of class-specific projects and thus the importance of the class councils from years past. Such projects are still possible though, as demonstrated by the senior senators who worked to supply their class with T-shirts bearing the names of the graduating class.
Generally, representatives have been impressed with the number of new projects and ideas coming out of the senate this year.
"Overall, I'd say there is a definite improvement," said Senator Avi Das '07. "But I don't know if that is the amendment or if this year is just a better bunch who have embarked on more ambitious projects and programs on their own. We'll never know."