Only two weeks after taking the Student Association’s oath of office, senators are already taking bold steps forward to bring “credibility” to the NIU students.

Senator Gary Stittgen followed up on his Sept. 25 motion to disband the Student Committee on Political Action by proposing “to set up a new standing committee that would take the place of SCOPA.”

Stittgen’s proposal would replace SCOPA with the Student Association Political Awareness Committee (SAPAC).

The Sept. 25 proposal was referred to the SA Internal Affairs Committee after SA Vice President Gregg Bliss said, to “eliminate (SCOPA) on the first (SA meeting) is extremely irresponsible.”

At Sunday’s SA meeting, the SA decided to refer Stittgen’s proposal to the IAC a second time for further recommendations. Stittgen said the proposal could have been voted on in Sunday’s meeting because the bylaws do not state that a bylaw/constitution change needs two readings before a vote can be taken. However, he said the “spirit” of the law says a change in the bylaws and the constitution requires two readings.

Stittgen said he read the proposal at Sunday’s meeting to avoid any conflicts because “there is a gray area in the bylaws.

In his proposal, Stittgen said SAPAC “shall provide the students of Northern Illinois University with a meaningful opportunity to seriously examine, study, and be involved in the American political system.” The bylaws currently state this regarding SCOPA.

Stittgen’s proposal would replace the present bylaws governing SCOPA. The bylaw changes he proposes would eliminate the organization’s involvement with voter registration, limit the committee’s membership to 15 voting members (as opposed to all fee-paying students), require that all legislation passed by the committee be approved by the senate with the president having veto power and the senate having the power to override the veto with a two-thirds vote of the senate, and add a clause in the bylaws stating the committee must “act in compliance with the governing laws of the land.”

“I think he’s full of it, I do not like it and I think it is silly,” SCOPA Co-chairman Rene Lilly said. “(The proposal) brings down all of the authority to the senate, What happened to the ability to think on our own?,” she said.

Lilly said the proposal was “fascist” because it allows the senate “to tell us what to do.”

The proposal must have a majority vote in order to pass and become part of the SA bylaws. “I think we do have a majority,” Stittgen said.