DeKALB | Sunday night the Student Association Senate hotly debated reform legislation.

Senator Josh Alvarado, along with senators Joe Porter and Brett Kryska, sponsored and authored two bills to amend the SA Bylaws. The first bill sought to police a potential conflict of financial interest.

The bill, SAB 38034, concerned senators regularly paid by student organizations. These senators would be ineligible to vote upon funding for those organizations, with the exception of their inclusion in the overall SA annual budget.

Others in the senate were ardently against the attempted reform.

“It’s taking away a senator’s right to vote,” said Senator Colleen Murphy.

Murphy, a vocal opponent of the bill, was recently re-elected as vice president of Administration for Campus Activities Board. In the position, Murphy has the potential to make $7,074 during fiscal year 2007.

Senator and treasurer-elect Ricky Garcia argued that by limiting a senator’s voting duty, the voice of approximately 5,125 students per senator would be neglected. Garcia is the paid CAB vice president of finance.

“Its not like we’re denying their voice being heard; [senators] are allowed to speak, they [will retain] that freedom,” said Kryska in discussion.

Eric Brenes, newly appointed senator, and formerly paid election commissioner for the SA said, “[No one] in this senate [session] would cast a vote which is a conflict of interest, but the next senate session may not have the same ethics. I support [the bill].”

Alvarado was impassioned by opposition to the bill.

“Being in this body is not a right, it’s a privilege,” he said. “It’s a privilege to represent the student body of NIU. [Voting on bills that are a conflict of interest is] something we all know shouldn’t be done. This bill would just prevent a conflict in the future. That’s our concern, the future for our constituants, the students of NIU. They want – no – need to be represented properly.”

Duties and requirements of SA officers are defined by the SA constitution.

“When the students select us as senators, they trust that we are already doing the right thing,” said Senator Brittney Mottley. “I think that if this was a problem, they wouldn’t vote for us in the first place. They wouldn’t vote for dishonest people.”

In the fall senate election, 758 students, or 3 percent of the NIU student body, elected the SA senate.

A roll call vote was not taken, so no definite record was made of who voted for or against the bill, but Murphy was the only senator to vocally abstain. The bill did not pass.

The bill concerning roll call votes recording financial matters was again rejected by the senate in a roll-call vote 16-8. Its author, Joe Porter, said the bill was necessary to record all votes, especially when concerned students could not attend.

Aaron Funfsinn, vocal critic of the SA, former SA presidential candidate and student representative at Rock Valley College in Rockford, spoke before the senate on how the U.S. Senate records all votes.

In the SA, roll call votes can be called at any time. However, it must be specially requested, or else an anonymous vote by voice will determine a bill’s outcome, not necessarily reflecting the actual number and identity of senators who vote or abstain.

Nick Look, a sophomore business finance major, was appointed to the senate after some debate regarding the brevity of his speech.

Two candidates for SA speaker of the senate were nominated: Rob Batey, current speaker – who earlier in the year said he would not run again – and Funfsinn.