My fellow students,


The Illinois Student Senate has proposed sweeping changes to the student government's Constitution, which will allow for better representation of the Student Body to the University and Campus Administration. Such changes include direct elections for the President, Vice-President and Treasurer. Additionally, the Illinois Student Senate is seeking to shift the collection of the government's budget from the administration directly to the Student Body. The Senate, by large margin, approved of these proposals and must now gather signatures from the Student Body in order to place the questions on the ballot. Please note that these are two separate proposals and may be voted upon independently of one another.

The Illinois Student Senate would greatly appreciate your support for plans to revise the composition of the student government. If you have not already, please Sign the Petition (https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/632204). Signing the petition simply means that you would like to see it on the March election ballot, and does not say that you support the proposed revisions. Any questions may be sent to Student Senators Jim Maskeri (maskeri1@illinois.edu) and Carey Hawkins Ash (ash2@illinois.edu). The documents may be viewed online at: http://iss.illinois.edu/documents.asp

Sign the Petition at: https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/632204


Moreover, the Illinois Student Senate is seeking applicants for 2013-2014 campus committees.  Campus committees are an excellent opportunity for students to get involved in the shared governance process.  Members of campus committees contribute to important policymaking, such as overseeing various fee supported entities (e.g. Assembly Hall, McKinley, the Cultural Centers, etc.), as well as campus transportation, sustainability, and setting student fee rates.  Campus committees are a great leadership opportunity and allow students to have a voice in campus governance.  The full list of campus committees can be found at: http://studentaffairs.illinois.edu/campuscommittees/allcommittees.html

The Final deadline for campus committee applications has been extended to 11:59 pm on Friday, February 15th.  No applications will be considered by the Student Senate after this deadline. Please apply online at: http://iss.illinois.edu/ccapplication.aspx


Finally, I want to extend an invitation to all students to attend the Illinois Student Senate's Student Trustee Debate. The event will feature the candidates for Student Trustee answering questions provided by the Illinois Student Senate and submitted by members of the public. The event will be on Tuesday, February 26th at 7 o'clock in the evening at the Illini Union's Pine Lounge. We hope to see you there!


Please submit any questions to the Illinois Student Senate via the online contact form: http://iss.illinois.edu/contact.asp

____________________________________
Brock W. Gebhardt
Student Body President
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Executive Director of The Association of Big Ten Students
gebhard4@illinois.edu - (217) 265-0520