Delegates to debate proposals

Three student leaders working to revamp student government plan to present separate proposals -- including one which would weaken the Nominations and Elections Committee -- at the fourth constitutional convention Sunday. Delegate Jon Wachs, a College senior, is sponsoring a proposal which calls for the NEC to be divided into a nominations committee, which would be under the "technical jurisdiction" of the elected student body, and an elections committee, which would be independent. During the past three convention meetings, delegates have said that because the NEC is autonomous, there is not enough communication between the committee and other branches of student government. Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Duchess Harris said last night that she would like to put even more control over the nominations process, adding that she expects delegates to debate the issue at the convention. Wachs also calls for the Undergraduate Assembly to be split into two branches -- one which would be popularly elected and the other which would be composed of representatives from student groups. Wachs said that although he wants other student government groups to remain autonomous, a "student executive council" -- elected by the two branches -- would oversee all the groups and would set the agenda for the year. He added that there would be a system of checks and balances between student groups and the executive council. Convention delegate Greg Shufro, vice chairperson of the Student Activities Council, is sponsoring a third proposal which calls for the establishment of an executive committee composed of SAC and UA members to replace the current UA. "Right now, we don't have a UA that is representative of a large enough percentage of the University," Shufro said. "This proposal would take advantage of the large percentage of the student body that SAC already represents." Shufro said his proposal would make student government more "focused and effective and. . . open up communication among the different branches." Wachs' proposal also calls for elections to be held each semester. Representatives would serve one-year terms and the rotating elections would ensure continuity within student government, Wachs said. Convention delegate Dan Singer, a UA member, is sponsoring a proposal similar to Wachs'. Singer said that he does not think that any of the proposals will be accepted entirely, adding that a compromise is inevitable. "Everyone has their personal plan for the future of Penn student government and I think that eventually it will come down to us fighting it out and choosing the best parts of each proposal," Singer said. Sunday's meeting will be the first where delegates present concrete alternatives to the present student government. At the last three meetings, the 33 delegates identified trouble spots and debated the purpose of student government.

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