By Jonathan Stankiewicz
Eleven student voting members on the Faculty Senate seems like something that wouldn’t work, but that’s exactly what was suggested to the members of CCSU’s faculty.
SGA President Eric Bergenn proposed the idea at the Faculty Senate in Vance Academic room 105 this past Monday. Bergenn is trying to come up with more ways in which the Senate of the SGA and their faculty counterparts can work together and better represent their respective constituencies.
“There are a few ways in which the students can be represented at various committees of the Faculty Senate,” says Bergenn. He doesn’t believe that those seats have been used correctly “ to make sure students voices are heard on important issues that affect there experience” at CCSU. He doesn’t fault either group, but offers the idea of a student constituency on the Faculty Senate to make “a better working relationship between both organizations.”
Taking the time to go through both the Faculty Senate constitution and SGA constitution, Bergenn said that both have authority over student behavior and conduct. In his printed report to the Senate, he copy and pasted the sections of each constitution that highlight student conduct and behavior. He believes that since the Senate has power over student behavior wouldn’t it be wise to allow students to be represented with voting members on the legislative body.
After reading his report Bergenn wasn’t asked any questions, but was thanked for bringing his voice forward to the Senate. Faculty Senate President Candace Barrington, immediately put Bergenn’s idea to the Committee on Constitution and By-Laws. Barrington wants them to go over the idea and see what their recommendation is for moving forward.
“I think it went really well,” said Bergenn. He felt the faculty was receptive and they were all very respectful of everything he brought up. Bergenn was surprised at how shocked they looked that he was there at Faculty Senate. Realizing it’s against the status quo, Bergenn knows it’s “quite a shock.” He wasn’t trying to startle them.
Bergenn knows that 11 voting members for students is a lot because part-time faculty representation only has four senators. He is more than willing to talk that number down and welcomes a discussion of his idea.
“Sometimes change is best done incrementally, but, at the same time, if you look at it from a purely pragmatic sense…I think it’s worth looking at it from the prespective of what is the best situation, not what’s closer to the best situation,” said Bergenn. The SGA may not pass things from their Senate that affect the Faculty Senate’s constituencies, but many of the things the Faculty Senate decides on affect SGA’s constituencies, said Bergenn.
It would be good for them as well, said Bergenn. Saying that you might have the student’s viewpoint and actually having their perspective there are two different things and Bergenn thinks that having a student there could affect future decisions.
“I’m not doing this to be a revolutionary,” said Bergenn. “I’m not doing it to create any dissidence. I’m actually doing this to bring the two groups together.”
