Student Association senators mingled with students during the first “Meet the Senate Night” at Stevenson North’s Fish Bowl Room on Thursday night.

DuJuan Smith, a junior sociology major and SA senator, said the event allowed students to meet the senators on a more approachable level.

“People should care more about the student senate because they make a lot of decisions that affect the campus overall,” Smith said.

About 35 people were in the room during the busiest time of the event, but some senators would have liked more students to attend.

“It kind of upsets me that students don’t show up to events like this,” said Phil Stroud, a freshman history and political science major and student senator. “They complain, but they don’t show up to voice their complaints.”

Senator Doug Reisinger, a freshman political science major, joined the senate this fall after hearing about elections last year.

Sophomore marketing major Katie Zechman attended the event because she wanted to meet the people who were making decisions that affected her.

“I didn’t know how much they interacted with the city of DeKalb with issues such as parking,” Zechman said.

Zechman said people should meet the senate members and voice their opinions.

“The only way things will change is if you represent yourself and speak up,” she said.

About 36 students make up the senate. Members meet every Sunday to discuss issues such as student funding. Recently, the senate dealt with Fall Break and parking issues.

“We’re the voice of the students,” said Frank Woodin, speaker of the senate and a senior business administration major. “We want to make this a yearly thing, hopefully in the fall semester.”

Andrew Nelms, a sophomore history major and a student senator, added that students should care about the senate because they deal with $1.3 million, which comes from student fees.

“That’s why it’s important for students to get involved and know who their senators are because we have a large amount of control,” Nelms said.

Donna Dalton, a freshman political science major and a student senator, wrote the bill to have “Meet the Senate Night.”

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I was happy with the turnout,” Dalton said. “I would like to target more people next time.”

For more information on the SA, visit http://www.sa.niu.edu.