The Baker University student senate voted to uphold the wording in Article I of the student senate constitution concerning the appointed organizational chairs, specifically the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic.
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During Tuesday’s student senate meeting, a motion was made to replace Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic with fraternity life and sorority life under the Appointed and Elected Organizational Chairs section of the constitution. This would mean one representative would be appointed to represent all fraternity chapters on campus and one representative would be appointed to represent all sorority chapters on Baker’s campus.
“So instead of reporting back to an organization, they’re just there to represent (fraternity and sorority life),” sophomore Brandon Haefke said.
However, members of Zeta Phi Beta sorority were dissatisfied because of concern that their governing body, the National Pan Hellenic Council, would not be represented at the meetings because of the different criterion of their council. Because the NPHC includes both sororities and fraternities, concern lies where the NPHC would be separated if the wording was changed to “fraternity life and sorority life.”
“I think the matter is, if we are going to be equally represented, then it should just be a greek life representative, not just a fraternity representative, because then that’s putting NPC and NPHC together and making us representative of our sorority, when our council is based on fraternities and sororities,” Zeta Phi Beta President Katerra Shackelford said.
Out of the 10 appointed and elected organizational chairs available on the student senate, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic, Mungano, Student Activities Council, Residence Life and Athletics are appointed one senator from each organization. Any other organization is eligible to have a member of the organization run for one of four open-elected organizational chair seats.
“In reality, our sorority and the members of our sorority are involved in so many more things and we’re known for so many other organizations that we’re a part of, our athletics that we’re a part of,” Shackelford said, “and so in turn what is the issue with us not having a vote or an automatic seat? Why should we have to run when the other sororities and fraternities are being represented?”
During a vote to amend the wording in the constitution, the amendment did not pass. The vote was then to approve the wording as it stands, with Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic, along with the other four appointed organizations, having separate automatic seats on the student senate. This passed 22-9-1 and also met the required 2/3 affirmative votes.
“This is probably the opening of conversations for us as an entire community for Baker University and how we choose to look at each other, and how we choose to support and respect those organizations of which we are all proud members of, but remembering that we’re also all Baker Wildcats and how can we support each other and all of our endeavors,” Dean of Students Cassy Bailey said.
Although attendees of the meeting Tuesday were divided on this particular issue, the decision may be a stepping stone for the student senate’s revisions to the current constitution.
“I feel like we’re probably not fully satisfied with the results that we had, but we are a lot closer to having a functional constitution than we were before this,” Haefke said. “So hopefully going forward, we will be able to look at further amends and further making sure that we’re not excluding anyone, but at the same time, we are making progress in some way.”
