In previous years, Student Senate officer candidates have been able to drop in around election season, ready to declare their candidacy. This year, the Student Senate voted to change its policy regarding eligibility for the position.

“We are not allowing students to run unless they have been an active member of Senate for [at least half the year],”  Lucy Wagner ‘17, president, said. “Student Senate wants to ensure the governing body elected for next year is prepared for office.”

While some students think this change is for the better, others disagree.

“[The Student Senate president] is someone who is not limited to a club, although one of their responsibilities is running the club,” Patrick McMillan ‘18 said. “Your attendance for a club should not determine your eligibility for a school-wide election.”

McMillan, who recently announced his candidacy for Vice President, has sparked a debate between himself and incumbent Student Senate members about this new policy, which culminated this morning in an informal “hearing” by Mr. Bacon. The Little Hawk will cover this in more detail later.

Mr. Bacon will decide the issue later in the week.

“There were a lot of good arguments on both sides of this,” he said of the debate. “I’d like to think about it and come back to the next meeting with what I would like to see happen.”