Student senate met for its first meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The meeting acted mostly as an orientation for the school year and brought several new members into the student organization.

Student senate meetings take place every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Tuscola Room on the third floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

New student senators will be appointed to their offices at the next meeting.

Michael Perri, a junior political science major and speaker of the student senate, started out leading the meeting.

He started the meeting by going around the room and having each of the members introduce themselves.

Perri outlined goals that the student senate has for the rest of the year, including having an emphasis on accountability within the student senate, creating quality events and programs for students.

Each student senator will be asked to either author or co-author one or more pieces of legislation.

Perri also outlined that senators will be striving to have more understanding and better represent the Eastern student body.

Student senators are asked to be actively involved on campus as well as visible and available to the student body and serve on at least one of the committees, Perri said.

Noor-Ul-Haash Khamisani, a junior English major and the student senate vice president for academic affairs, introduced the faculty members who advise the student senate as well as the graduate advisors.

The executive members of the student senate then went through the eight committees that each senator might become involved in.

These committees include the Senate for Academic Affairs, Alumni Association, Business Affairs, Diversity Affairs, External Relations, Internal Relations, Student Affairs and University Enhancements.

The Diversity Action Committee will be returning this semester, said Samira Abdoulaye-Pedila, senior psychology major and vice president for student affairs.

Abdoulaye-Pedila is currently overseeing the reopening of the Diversity Action Committee (DAC).

Following the decision not to fly the Black Lives Matter flag, the student senate received backlash from students.

Abdoulye-Pedila said that by reopening the DAC the senate hopes to bring in minority students and get more voices are that interested in being a part of it involved with the committee.

Currently Abdoulaye-Pedila is in the process of reaching out to multicultural groups on campus.

Following a short break and another ice breaker activity, Perri took the floor again to go over the bylaws and go over the basics of Robert’s Rules and Parliamentary Procedure.

Robert’s Rules and Parliamentary Procedure are used to ensure that every senator that wishes to speak on a subject or matter can, and allows for keeping things civil and in order, Perri explained.

Perri also took the time to provide information on creating, voting on and approving bills or resolutions to the new and returning student senators.

The meeting concluded with the executive board going into how committees work, and how the student senate will go through budgeting as well as event planning. 

Every year the student senate runs the student involvement fair, which took place two weeks ago, and brings registered student organizations and other community groups onto campus so that students can see all there is to offer and get them involved. 

Zoë Donovan can be reached at 581–2812 or at zedonovan@eiu.edu