by Jeannie Curry
Collaborating Writer

The SCC Student Government is turning a critical eye inward this year as members evaluate its structure and plan to make changes to improve student representation and guard against the possibility of cliques gaining government power.

According to Student Government President Ivanhoe, a new Restructure Committee has been formed and the student body will vote on any proposed changes that are made to the SBA Constitution in a special election, which is likely to happen this winter.

Ivanhoe, who officially took office on July 1, notes that most of the members of the current Executive Board were friends with each another prior to taking office. He says that a limited candidate pool, combined with the large six-member Executive Board and nine-person Senate could be compromising effective student representation. This year’s Executive Board is concerned that with its current structure, a group of students sharing special interests could take office en masse in the future and unfairly allocate resources in favor of their respective clubs or departments.

The Shoreline Student Body Association was founded in 1964, the same year that the school was founded, and every student automatically becomes a member upon enrollment at the college. Three SBA fees are collected with tuition: a student services and activities fee, technology fee and PUB fee. Ivanhoe describes the SBA as being like a union for students because it collects and allocates student fees. It also lobbies for student issues.

The SCC student body is a varied political constituency. The Student Government represents groups such as ESL, Running Start, Community Integration Program, Adult Basic Ed and Nursing students, among others. However, most members of the government are students planning to transfer to a four-year college, typically after completing two years at Shoreline, said Ivanhoe. He explained that this happens in part because transfer students tend to have more time available for extracurricular activities or want to supplement their resumes.

Last year’s Student Government saw a lot of turnover for a variety of individual reasons, Ivanhoe explained; a situation which often results in members appealing to their friends to fill unexpected vacancies. In turn, this can lead to an even more homogeneous group of students gradually taking over a branch of the government, albeit unintentionally.

One way to cut potential vacancies would be to reduce the number of positions on the Executive Board. Another would be to combine the Senate with the Executive Board in a unicameral system, having one group of officers play both roles. The idea behind these possible changes is that a smaller board of more passionate officers may be more effective than a larger one with many positions that are difficult to keep full.

Ivanhoe emphasized that he does believe any group of students can represent the diverse student body adequately as long as every officer is committed to the job and to learning about issues that concern their fellow students. The Restructure Committee may also consider whether changing the pay scale for Student Government jobs can alter the quality of the candidate pool or change how much responsibility officers are expected to take on.

“Student Government is almost invisible to a lot of people on this campus,” said Vice President Jessica Puckett, placing much of the blame on the current $400 per quarter stipend that Senators receive. This figure not only limits the number of students who can run for Senate, but also makes it difficult for Executive Board members to ask Senators for the additional time commitment that is necessary to build effective government connections with clubs and other campus groups. Puckett says that modifying Senators’ compensation can provide a better incentive for them to participate in increasing the government’s visibility on campus.

“The process is still in its infancy,” said Ivanhoe of the proposed changes to the constitution in an email on Monday. “Right now, we are still trying to define our core values as an institution and develop a strategic plan to help guide us.”

The new Restructure Committee currently meets once a week immediately following the Constitution and Bylaws Committee meeting. Puckett’s goal is to have any constitutional changes ready to go on a ballot by the end of the winter quarter. Any major structural alterations such as reducing the size of the government, however, are unlikely to occur until Fall 2008.