Graduate student senators may have more of a voice and the student body may elect the student body president and other leaders under a new Illinois Student Senate constitution proposal.

The senate met Friday to discuss these changes to its constitution, among others, but adjourned early because it was not able to keep a required 25 senators at the meeting, ending with 22.

The senate will convene again during its regular meeting Wednesday.

Some of the constitutional revisions were responses to changes that were implemented the last time the senate’s constitution was amended in spring 2011, said Jim Maskeri, undergraduate co-chairman of the Commission on Constitutional Reform. 

The last revision altered the senate’s structure by minimizing the role of graduate students within the senate by reducing them from a standing committee to a subcommittee. 

The senate then created a special standing committee for graduate and professional students until a new constitution could be ratified.

In the proposed constitution, the Graduate and Professional Council would be formed, made up of 30 council members from different academic backgrounds.

A graduate leader would also be elected from the graduate student population as a representative.

Maskeri said the senate’s structure accurately represents the undergraduate to graduate ratio on campus, but the new constitution will give graduate student senators more autonomy.

The student body will also have more of a say in senate leadership in the proposed document, which would require that the student body president, vice president and treasurer are elected from and by the student body. Currently, these positions are filled by student senators and are elected by the senate.

Having the “direct mandate” of the student body, Maskeri said, the president will also be encouraged to take on additional responsibilities on behalf of the senate outside of meetings. Because the senate currently elects the student body president, he or she acts as the speaker of the senate.

“The powers remain within the student senate; however, we’re giving some additional authority to the executive branch to really work outside of the student senate structure and work for the student body,” Maskeri said.

If approved at Wednesday’s meeting, the senate will then need to gather 5,000 student signatures, representative of 5 percent of the student body, before petitioning the Campus Student Election Committee to place the new constitution on the spring elections ballot for the March 5-6 election.

“We are going to have the ability to effectively advocate for students’ needs, and we are going to be able to fulfill the promise that this University makes to every student,” said Carey Hawkins Ash, graduate co-chairman of the Commission on Constitutional Reform.

Hawkins Ash said he was eager for Wednesday’s discussion.

“I was inspired today,” he said. “I look forward to Wednesday’s meeting to put a document before the student body and say: ‘This is what we want you to approve. Will you support us in making sure that we have a strong student government moving forward?’”

Tyler can be reached at [email protected].