Although we would like to assume the Illinois Student Senate operates transparently, some of its recent internal problems suggest otherwise. Last week, ISS Vice President-External Timmy Knudsen resigned, citing the time commitment and his hectic schedule.

But signs also point to growing distrust within the organization regarding a closed Facebook group maintained by student senators. Although Knudsen said this wasn’t a factor in his resignation, several members had been trying to work behind Knudsen’s back through the closed group, which The Daily Illini reported Thursday. Worse than the covert nature of the group itself was that senators used it to have discussions in quorum numbers, a violation of the Illinois Open Meetings Act. 

Essentially, enough ISS senators must be present before a general assembly meeting (which are legally required to be open to the public) can begin. In the past, ISS has failed to meet this quorum requirement. However, on Facebook, enough of the senators participated in the secret group to meet quorum, which means that the group legally must be open for the public to see. But it wasn’t open.  

Not only must ISS operate openly and transparently because it’s the law, but it must also be public with its discussions so that the student body can hold the organization accountable.

ISS receives its budget from student fees, allocating the money how it wishes, and is empowered to be the voice of all students on this campus. As constituents, we should be able to hold them accountable for the senators’ decisions and have access to their deliberations. 

Student senators are supposed to stand with students they represent, not circumvent them. ISS is not supposed to be an exclusive club — and no senator should have discretion over who can be included in discussions.

For a group that should represent the student body, it’s a shame that its members cannot work collectively in a public forum to serve the University community, which voted them in. 

Among this hullaballoo, another senator, Dominique “Modaddy” Johnson resigned amid growing pressure from ISS. Meanwhile, Johnson’s resignation caused a rift within the student senate when he was caught with another senator’s i>clicker, but he abstained from a vote at a meeting last month. Disappointing to us is that senators and factions within ISS see the need to work separately from the rest of the senate. 

On the one hand, we’re glad to see senators properly resigning to maintain the integrity of ISS. These missteps served only to belittle an institution that is not often seen favorably by students: We’re glad ISS didn’t just let it slip through the cracks. 

We hope this will be the beginning of a shift of ISS’ focus on to the students. We hope that personal problems within the senate can be separated from its public function and that its operations remain public. 

We hope this will allow senators to work as a whole and continue benefitting the entire campus, including through the i>clicker rental program, where ISS provides more than 400 students with free i>clickers. We appreciate senators, like Tony Fiorentino, who are working to make the issues and discussions surrounding college affordability more salient within our campus community and to our lawmakers. 

We hope more members will follow his lead, providing public services — publicly.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that former Senator Dominique “Modaddy” Johnson had used another senator’s i>Clicker to vote. The article should have stated that Dominique “Modaddy” Johnson abstained from a vote.

Clarification: The article also stated that the Facebook group maintained by the Illinois Student Senate was a secret group. The Facebook group was a closed group but unknown to several members.