I read over a news piece last week titled "Senate's projects reform yielded mixed results," and need to clarify a few things related to the article.

The news editor implied that retiring Senator Mike Donovan '08, "neglected [his] duties" by failing to complete the required annual project. Along with Rohit Raj '08, Donovan joined the AAS (Association of Amherst Students) Senate in February in a special election.

Under precedent, the Vice President of the AAS introduces members entering in the middle of a term, acquaints them to our organization and informs them of their new duties. In this case, neither received information or advice about the project rule. Donovan asked other senators if he needed to complete a project. Since he was elected halfway through the year, several senators told him he was likely exempt from a project requirement.

Raj completed his requirement, but his project was also one I originally proposed, and invited two senators to work with me to accomplish. The project requirement allows members to work in groups of up to four, so I think it's fair to say miscommunication led to the missing project in Donovan's case, not neglect.

In fact, I don't blame the vice president or the E-Board (that includes me) for any of this. Logically, I'd charge our Secretary or Judicial Chair with those basic operative duties. But overall, I think the problem stems from the way we all seem to regard the student government. To most, it's an obscure bunch that meets on Monday nights at 9:00 p.m. in the Red Room to hand out money. I imagine a new senator being completely unaware of the big ways we can get involved. I sure was. To name a few examples, we can organize cookouts, provide bonfires for seniors finishing theses, invite big name speakers or even provide packing boxes.

Budgetary allocations eat up so much of our meeting time that the representatives don't get to see where we can really make things happen. Under our current order, approving budgetary recommendations takes up more than three-quarters of our meetings, while proposals to bring new things to the student body are often hastily introduced and zealously attacked at the end of our meetings-when most of us our tired after three hour meetings and understandably just want to leave.

I believe the AAS would do well to reinstitute the Student Policy and Life Committee that existed under the old constitution. This would create a separate space for senators to convene solely for the purpose of bringing palpable and well thought out improvements to campus. A perusal of the pre-2002 senate minutes shows that those senates produced more consistent and inspiring projects. My time is up, but I do hope next year's membership will consider some change.

Michael Simmons '06