Student senate approved an amendment to its constitution Tuesday granting organizations recognized by senate the option of petitioning for voting privileges, and thereby turned down a proposal that would have automatically removed the voting rights of all organizations.

Two proposals were tabled at the Oct. 9 meeting giving student senate the option of granting organizations voting rights if they petition for them or removing those privileges. Junior Tricia Wernette brought forth the proposal that would pass, which advocated organizations recognized by senate to have the right to petition senate for voting privileges, or choose not to fill out the form and abstain from voting but remain recognized and able to request funds.

Wernette said she brought forth the second proposal at the Oct. 9 meeting after Junior Class Secretary/Treasurer Chad O’Bryhim made the first proposal, which suggested amending the spring 2007 constitution. If passed, it would have removed the voting privileges of student organizations, but allowed them to retain recognition by student senate and the right to request funds.

“I thought that proposal one was kind of rash,” Wernette said. “I think that it’s student senate and every student should have a vote.”

Wernette’s proposal passed Tuesday on a second voting attempt by senate members to meet the two-thirds majority required by the constitution to approve an amendment to it. The second proposal states organizations recognized by senate who want voting privileges are required to petition senate at the beginning of each year to be designated as such.

Organizations granted voting rights will be required to attend every senate meeting and are only allowed two unexcused absences per semester. The third absence will result in loss of voting privileges, but not senate recognition nor access to funding. Organizations that do lose voting privileges because of unexcused absences are allowed to re-petition the following year. A new organization requesting recognition by senate will be required to petition for voting privileges at the same meeting or must wait till the following year.

Under this proposal, representatives from campus student committees, consisting of Student Activities Council and Mungano, representatives from greek and campus housing facilities, as well as one off-campus housing representative, class officers and representatives, executive board members and organizations recognized by senate that petition for voting rights will have voting privileges and be required to attend every meeting. Organizations recognized by senate who don’t petition for voting privileges will not be required to attend every meeting, but will still be able to voice their opinions and request funds at anytime.

Treasurer Jacinta Deruso said she voted for the proposal that would not allot voting privileges to organizations based on her experience as an executive member of the 2006-2007 student senate, in which many groups did not attend regularly and therefore voting couldn’t be conducted because quorum often wasn’t met.

“Quorum is the biggest issue for me,” she said. “With the first proposal, the fact that (organizations) can come and voice their opinions and get money is still there.”

Wernette said she recognized the fact that students are represented in forms besides organizations such as their living establishments, classes and greek organizations. However, she said the proposal that passed will give more students a voice.

“If (voting) is important to other groups, then I think it is important that it be an option for them,” she said. “That way if something really important ever happened on campus organizations would be allowed to vote.”

President Kim Kilmartin said organizations will now have the option of filling out forms to be recognized or petition for voting privileges at the meeting Tuesday. She said she would like senate to move forward and start taking care of other issues now that the matter of the constitution has been resolved.

“We need to start thinking of fundraising ideas for Habitat for Humanity and the class gate,” she said.