A voting redistricting plan approved by the Student Association Senate Sunday is a step in the right the direction, but could go further.

The old plan had two districts, with 16 on-campus senators and 32 off-campus senators. It failed with students having no idea who their representives were, and with the system encouraging voting blocs such as the Greek Row coalition.

The new plan approved Sunday divides the system into five districts, with nine senators elected from each district. The new plan is better than the old one, but could be improved further by reducing the number of senators elected from each district to two.

More representatives do not result in better representation. It is impossible to cram 45 senators into a room and expect them to accomplish anything in a timely fashion.

A smaller senate would promote accountability and better representation. With a small group, students would quickly learn their representives by name. Senators who fail to attend meetings or do not do their jobs would no longer be able to blend into the crowd. A smaller senate also would force potential senators to campaign and make their platforms known prior to election. Students would not be confronted with a ballot that tells them to pick nine students whose names they do not recognize.

The DeKalb City Council, which governs the entire city (including students), has only seven members. The Board of Regents, which governs three universities, has only nine voting members and three non-voting student members. The fewer numbers work better. Both groups accomplish more than the SA with fewer and shorter meetings.

Students would be far better served by a student governing body they could get to know.