The Houghton Student Government Association (SGA) has eliminated senator positions in an effort to build a more efficient representative system. This new Council supplants the Senate. It comes as a reaction to the low enrollment that Houghton has seen over the past few years and decreased participation in the SGA.
Senior, Wynn Horton, executive officer of committees, explains, “Two years ago the Senate and Cabinet of the SGA were the two separate bodies that made up the SGA. This meant each class had 3 representatives, there were 8 general representatives, and then the additional Cabinet members. Last year, we attempted to more accurately represent the ‘representative districts’ on campus by adjusting to a system of dorm and academic department reps.
“After spending most of last year with numerous vacancies and poor efficiency in the Senate structure, they voted to attempt another restructuring – this time much smaller and more consolidated than before. This idea would eliminate the separate Senate and Cabinet structures and create an Executive Council comprised of six generally elected executive officers, four class-elected representatives, a vice president, and a president.”
The intent of this restructuring is to increase competition for positions by reducing the supply to match demand. A smaller council will be able to work more effectively because it will not have as much of a need for structural decorum. Members will be able to more easily work out solutions to class issues as well as make decisions on club funding and committees.
While eliminating the senatorial positions, the SGA has created several new and focused positions for the Council. This group oversees all classes through their respective class presidents as well as by direct means. As it stands, it consists of 12 positions: general president and vice President, one president for each class, as well as executive officers of finance, committees, spiritual life, communications, non-traditional students, and student life. Each class president oversees a class cabinet that works to help individual years and puts on class-wide events. The Council also oversees five council committees and 13 committees led by the SGA and the college.
Horton described the role of the SGA in coming years, “As the college grows and determines what form it shall take in the world of higher education, the student government must be prepared to assist in these changes as best they can. It was generally thought to be in the best interest to condense the empty positions and strengthen what remained. Structures will, as the college will, change with time. We can only hope that for now, we have made the decisions that will be the best for not only this student body, but for many to come.”