The 2007 Student Referendum came 200 votes short of the quorum needed to validate the results. The referendum opened on Monday, Dec. 3 after a massive poster campaign around campus informing students of the vote and will continue until the necessary votes come in.

“Overall, the Senate is very proud and positive about the progress of the referendum so far because we are relatively close to reaching quorum and it’s only been around a week. So that’s actually super fast compared to [the referendum] two years ago,” said Student Senate Publicity Coordinator and College sophomore Daniel Abramson.

The 2005 referendum did not close until February of 2006 and never reached quorum, something the Senate is currently trying to avoid.

“Our plan of attack now is to hit the streets,” said Student Senate Affairs Liaison, Senator and College senior Ian Hilburger. “All senators as well as everyone else invested in the referendum will be talking to our friends, neighbors, fellow co-opers and classmates until we reach the finish line.”

“If the referendum does not close before the semester ends, validating voting may become very complicated. Only enrolled students are allowed to vote,” said Hilburger. “Many students that have already voted may be graduating or leaving Oberlin at the end of the semester. Whether these votes should still be counted is something we must consider.”

“Everyone is very anxious to get it done with because then we can actually use the results to influence certain things. These are all very implementable questions,” said Abramson.

The important issue of Student Senate compensation has yet to be resolved. Student senators are not currently receiving wages, and this will continue in the absence of a positive vote on the referendum.

 “If this does not happen before the election process next semester, I am concerned that qualified candidates with high financial needs may be dissuaded from running for election,” said Hilburger.

Senators who need the income Student Senate has provided in the past might be forced to resign and take up other paying jobs on campus.

Some people are worried that one result of an incomplete or negative referendum would be to reduce the diversity of Student Senate. “The current lack of diversity on the Student Senate is something that troubles me a great deal,” said Hilburger. “I fear this problem will be exacerbated without a timely response from those who have not yet voted.”

Student Senate’s responsibilities include appointing the student representatives to faculty committees, participating in decision-making with the General Faculty, passing resolutions and serving as the board of appeals for Student Finance Committee allocations.