Senator: Review Edit Right-On
 
To the Editor:

I am writing in response to the editorial challenge written about the need for reform in the Student Senate (March 2, “Senate Must Reform”). The Review hit the nail on the head. The Senate is viewed by the majority of students as an ambiguous student group whose purpose is very much unknown. This illegitimacy plagues the Senate’s effectiveness to meet the needs of the student body, causing an absence of leadership. 
As we saw in the events surrounding the decision by the Housing and Dining Committee to convert Zeke to a co-ed dorm, students are clearly not apathetic to campus politics. But in the absence of leadership, student energy toward campus issues is misdirected. Students gather in groups when they are outraged about a flawed policy, but because there are no clear channels for accomplishing clear goals, student concern eventually dies away with little forward progress. Not only were the events following the Zeke decision unproductive on all sides, they also acted to further divide the student body. 
Student Senate, as the central body for student governance, must take the steps needed to restore its legitimacy and centrality. Unless students have access to information outlining how they can get involved, student groups will continue to choose unproductive, ambitious, confrontational methods in resolving conflict that should be resolved through genuine conversation and cooperation. As a school that places great value on cooperation, we should take it upon ourselves to establish a structured atmosphere where conflict can be worked out with goals in mind by scrutinizing the policies from which the conflict stems. Had the varying groups surrounding the Zeke decision had access to information concerning opportunities for involvement prior to the decision being made, we as a student body might have left thc situation feeling much more comfortable with the outcome. But cooperation takes leadership that the Student Senate must restore.
The problem does not lie within the membership of the Student Senate. Being a recently elected senator and having served only a month, it has been a lot of fun working with such a diverse group of personalities. Each senator brings a unique and energetic perspective to the group. The problem lies in the lack of organization and structure within the group. By examining some critical areas within the Senate’s own organization, I believe much of the legitimacy can be restored. As we get close to the end of school, huge reform from thc current Senate seems unlikely. But the Senate being elected this spring, for the 2001-2002 academic year, should place primary emphasis on major reforms needed to reconnect with the student body. And we as students should demand that from the candidates.
But a lack of time does not mean that the current Senate cannot begin on overhaul for next year. In fact, I am pleased to announce that the current Senate has done just that in creating an Advisory Council on Increasing Student Accessibility to Information. The council’s primary responsibility is overhauling the Senate’s communication system. In addition, the council will develop methods of streamlining information concerning student involvement at the administrative level. This will be and should be the first step in restoring the Senate’s effectiveness. Unless students have direct access to concise information, they will never know how they can effect change at Oberlin. The council will present direct proposals to the Senate later in the spring after the spring elections, for implementation next year. Interested council members can contact either co-chairs behrad.mabdi@oberlin.edu or joseph.greaves@oberlin.edu.
Thank you very much for your time. 

–Joe Greaves 
Conservatory junior
Student Senator