Eastern’s Student Senate will see speaker of the senate nominations at their 7 p.m. meeting on Wednesday in the Arcola/Tuscola room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Michael Perri, a junior political science major, is the current Speaker of the Senate.

The last two meetings of the year will serve to see nominations for the seat at the second to last meeting, according to the Senate’s bylaws. 

The issue will then be tabled to allow senators enough time to evaluate the nominees, Perri said.

At the last meeting a roll call and voice vote are called and senators vote on the nominees.

If there are more than two nominees they will hold a primary vote, in which the two nominees with the highest vote will continue on to a second round of voting, Perri said.

Whoever wins the election will lead what is left of the final senate meeting of the semester.

“You have to be a leader,” Perri said in regards to being Speaker.

He said that leadership experience is recommended and that “If someone is speaker, they need to be comfortable with being the person who makes the decisions,” Perri said.

The most public role of the speaker is to lead the weekly Wednesday Student Senate meetings, as well as act as the chair for council of the chairs.

During the meeting the Senate will also hear several reports.

The Senate will hear reports from the executive board, including Student Body President Carson Gordon, Executive Vice President Kathleen Conlin, Vice President of Academic Affairs Noor-ul-Haash Khamisani and Vice President of Student Affairs Samira Abdoulaye-Pedila.

They will also hear reports from the following committees: Academic Affairs, Alumni Relations, Business Affairs, Diversity Affairs, External Relations, Internal Affairs, Student Affairs and University Enhancement.

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