New policy: Bye to truant student senators

WINONA, Minn, June 26, 2001 -- Three Winona State University student senators, James Manthei, John Steelman and Jake Van Brunt, became the first senators in years to be removed from the Senate for skipping meetings. The three juniors, all majoring in political science, were confronted by the interim Senate Vice President Jason Fossum during the third week of the spring semester. "The student senateÕs policy is to remove all senators who have two unexcused absences during the course of two semesters," Fossum said. "The three had missed the first two meetings.

EXPANDED COVERAGE Reporter: Bill Radde

In the preceding fall semester, Stedman said, he and his truant compatriots had all missed at least four to five meetings: "Nobody ever told us there was an attendance policy." True, the Senate constitution doesn't mention attendance. But it seems that Stedman missed all the Senate metings at which an attenance policy was built into the Senate by-laws. The new by-laws, a one-page document, were approved at the start of spring semester. Fossum said the attendance requirement was added because of blatant disregard for attendance the last two years.

The by-laws were used to create the attendance requirement because the Senate had been unable to muster a 10 percent student body turnout to change the constitution. Not since 1995 had the constitution been amended.

Fossum took over as vice president when Nicole Mossing left the job after fall classes for a Disney World internship. In an internal election, Fossum received 75 percent -- 25 votes -- to become vice president. In seeking the job, Fossum promised to enforce Senate attendance policies.

How bad has Senate attendance been? Fossum, couldn't find any record left by his predecessors, Mossing and Mark Grieling. In his three years as a senator, he couldn't recall anybody being impeached.

The only indicator of attendance from last three semesters is the Student Senate minutes, in which roll call votes listed whether all senators were present and who had excused or unexcused absences. "The roll call was a tool to make sure the Senate could reach a 65 percent quorum call," Fossum said. "The roll call was never compiled as a tool for seeing whoÕs attending and whoÕs not."

From roll call votes recorded in the minutes, these facts can be deduced:

In the 1999 fall semester, atendance averaged 76.8 percent.

In the spring 2000 semester, atteandance averaged 79.8 percent.

In the 2000 fall semester, attendance averaged 69.5 percent.

For those three semesters the Senate met 42 times with only six meetings having all senators present.

In the spring 2001, after the attendance requirement was passed and Fossum began enforcement. attendance averaged 89.9 percent.

Of 13 Senate meetings with the new by-laws inneffect, nine meetings had perfect attendance.

Fossum was elected as Student Senate president in April, effective with fall classes. Elected vice president was junior Sen. Erika Nelsen. "I plan on keeping the policy of two absences, and I hope to not have to kick anyone out of Senate," said Nelsen. "We have a good bunch of students in here next year and it shouldn't be a problem."