The Illinois Student Senate heard from members of the Study Abroad Student Advisory Committee, Wednesday, asking them to lower the signatures they would require to place a referenda on the student ballot. In order to do this, the senate had to pass a resolution reducing the amount of signatures required for referenda questions from seven percent of the student body to five percent.

Before the senate resolution could be passed, the senate also needed to draft a new constitution to be placed on the referenda for approval. However, many senators had not read the new version of the constitution and were uncomfortable voting on the resolution without doing so.

“If I vote for this resolution, it’s basically like putting my stamp of approval on something I haven’t even looked at,” said Jason Webber, graduate student and vice president external.

The senate took a 10 minute recess to look over the new document and then discussed several amendments to the constitution. After it was finalized, the constitution and the resolution passed unanimously.

The Study Abroad Student Advisory Committee’s referenda question has not yet been conceived, but the committee’s goal is to create a $5 undergraduate student fee that would fund scholarships for students wishing to study abroad. This would support Chancellor Richard Herman’s goal of increasing student involvement in studying abroad programs, said Erin Frommeyer, senior in AHS and committee member.

Frommeyer told the senators about her own experiences abroad and how she does not want to disenfranchise students on campus.

“Everybody regardless of race or background should have the opportunity to study abroad,” Frommeyer said. “It was an experience that enriched my life culturally.”