Too many Student Association senators are not attending their meetings and an SA senate committee is trying to do something about it.

The Internal Affairs Committee proposed rules Sunday that would force senators to appeal to the committee and face possible expulsion if they missed more than two roll calls.

The rules were proposed at the last senate meeting where only 27 of 39 active senators were present.

Roll call is taken at the beginning and ending of each meeting, so a senator who missed a whole meeting would miss two roll calls, said President Pro Tem Dave Ivers.

The rules, which were used last year but not written into the SA Constitution to remain in effect this year, are necessary to eliminate “deadwood” from the senate, said SA Vice President and IAC chairman Tanya Smith.

“They will know they will either have to attend senate meetings or they will have to drop out,” Smith said.

Smith said five people have contacted her about being senators and said expelled senators could easily be replaced.

Smith listed 20 senators at Sunday’s meeting who would have to appeal to the IAC if the rules were in effect now.

She also said senators are not attending their committees and advisers are complaining they cannot get business done without them. “There are the same senators doing the same things on the same committees,” Smith said.

owever, some senators resisted the idea of imposing the rules because of the possible loss of needed senators who have legitimate excuses.

Sen. Matt Wetstein said the rules would force an “undue burden” for the senators. “That is going to drive people from serving on the senate,” he said.

Wetstein also pointed out a problem with keeping a constitutional majority of 27 senators if the IAC started expelling senators.

Sen. Drew Krenke continued Wetstein’s reasoning saying there would be problems replacing senators. He also suggested that paying senators might increase attendance and make students “pay more attention to what the student senate was doing.”