The Student Senate appointed a senator as parliamentarian for the Senate and re-took last week’s speaker election votes at its meeting Wednesday night.

Zac Cohen, the executive vice president and the interim speaker of the senate, said since the senate did not do a roll call vote last week, which violated their bylaws, members had to vote again.

Noor Ul Haash Khamisani, the candidate for new speaker, still lost 14-1 with one abstention.

At the Senate’s last meeting on Sept. 26, members casted their vote on a piece of paper, and the votes were counted outside of the meeting.

Student Body President Rebecca Cash said members decided to vote that way because they wanted to “save feelings” and make sure senators did not feel influenced by someone else’s vote.

However, according to the Student Senate bylaws under Article I, Section B, Number 7, roll call votes must be conducted during elections unless there is a motion to suspend that bylaw.

During the Sept. 26 meeting, there was no motion made to suspend the bylaws.

“I want to personally apologize for this,” Cohen said. “Myself and the rest of the executives, we skipped past this on accident.”

He said since the senate did not do a roll call vote, last week’s vote did not count.

Therefore, Senator Ean Watson was appointed as parliamentarian so he can review the bylaws and make sure the Senate follows them during the meeting.

Cohen said appointing a parliamentarian happens every semester.

He said the main goal of the parliamentarian is to make sure the Senate is doing everything according to its bylaws and make sure the meetings are run the correct way according to Robert’s Rules of Order.

“I talked to Ean and me and the rest of the (executive board) feel that he will fill the role very well,” Cohen said. “One of the steps we have chosen to take to make sure something like (last week’s vote) doesn’t happen in the future is appointing Watson as parliamentarian.”

Cohen said in the future, senators will be more aware to make sure things are done the right way.

Other notes:

Cohen also invited senators to sign up to run the student government’s voter registration drive from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 9 in the Bridge Lounge of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

A bylaw revision committee will be established in order to make the bylaws match the total number of allowed senators that was revised in the Student Government Constitution.

As it stands in the bylaws, there has to be 30 senators representing the student body, but in Spring 2018 the Student Government Constitution was revised to allow a cap of 30 senators and allow for a minimum of 18 senators.

Carson Gordon, the student vice president of academic affairs, announced the next Prowlin’ with the Prez event.

It is called “Pumpkins with the Prez” and will be from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Library Quad.

She said she expects all the senators to attend.

Analicia Haynes can be reached at 581-2812 or achaynes@eiu.edu.