The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

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Brian Richardson, Contributor • March 28, 2024
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Task force to examine special interest seats

SMU’s Student Senate may be changing how senators areelected to represent the student body. Student Body President ChipHiemenz recently created the Student Membership Task Force to lookat ways to rework Senate’s election code and system ofrepresentation.

Lyndsey Hummert, a former membership committee chair and formerstudent body vice-president, will chair the task force. Theseissues haven’t been considered for many years, she said.

“The entire point of the task force is to research othermodels and make sure ours is the best possible representationalmodel for SMU,” said Hummert.

Two senators, one member each from the Senate’s diversity,membership, and executive committees, and two students-at-largewill also be on the task force.

One of the task force’s main concerns will be the fourspecial interest Senate seats representing African-American,Asian-American, Hispanic-American and International students.Currently, only members of the seat’s special interest groupmay vote for the Senator who fills the seat.

Students represented by one of these seats are also representedby the Senators from the school of their first declared major.

Reed Hanson, chairman of the Young Conservatives of Texas SMUChapter, believes that every student should be able to vote for andhold office in the special interest seats.

“Attaching racial restrictions on seats amounts toinstitutional discrimination against anyone who does not fit intoone of the ethnic categories,” said Hanson.

The task force will consider allowing the special interest seatsto debate at Senate meetings but not vote, officials say.

Matt Houston, president of the Association of Black Students,believes the special interest seats are crucial. “Withoutminority seats on campus, you take away the minority point ofview,” said Houston.

Aatique Shaikh, the current diversity committee chair and memberof the task force, believes that special interest Senators areimportant because they represent a certain part of the student bodyin a way that Senators from the different schools cannot.

“[They] are able to do a better job representingconstituents because they understand the constituents,” saidShaikh.

The task force will review the membership policies of otheruniversities to see how SMU’s guidelines compare. It willalso interview several student organizations.

Katie Walton, a Dedman II senator and member of the task force,does not see any problems with the current system but is willinglook at the issue from the perspectives of different studentgroups.

“It will be interesting to see how these organizationsview the way things are run in Senate,” said Walton.

The task force hopes to make a recommendation to Senate by earlyFebruary, student officials say. The task force plans on holding anopen forum before that to allow students to voice theiropinions.

Hiemenz hopes that many students will take advantage of theopportunity to influence how they are represented in Senate byattending the forum.

“I want to have everyone feel as if their voices areheard,” he said.

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