Eating McDonald’s food, taking cell phone calls, chatting with friends and doing homework — all this occurs during Student Association senate meetings, held on Sunday nights at the Holmes Student Center’s Clara Sperling Sky Room.

According to the 2000 SA constitution, the senate shall review and check the actions of the Executive Branch and shall legislate on matters of student interest.

“How can the senate be giving their full attention to the matters of this university when they aren’t paying attention to the meetings?” said Lisa Spenny, a junior accountancy major. “If senators don’t have time for a one-hour meeting once a week, then they shouldn’t be representing the students of NIU.”

SA meetings are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.; however, only one or two SA senators and executives arrive at this time. The majority of the student body trickles in five or 10 minutes later, and meetings normally do not begin until 6:15 p.m. For example, Sunday’s meeting did not start until 6:25 p.m.

During the April 1 senate meeting, two senators walked in 10 minutes late with bags of McDonald’s food, four cell phone calls were accepted by senators, three senators walked in a half-hour late and three senators and one member of the executive staff left the meeting early.

Gema Gaete-Tapia, senate speaker, said she saw a senator working on homework once.

“After I saw it, I didn’t allow it to happen again,” she said.

Senator Erik Benbennick said it makes him mad to hear about students doing their homework.

“That means they’re not paying attention to the senate meeting,” he said.

According to the 2000 SA constitution, the purpose of the NIU SA shall be the organization and coordination of activities of student interest and the representation of student views concerning university policy.

At the SA senate meeting on April 22, senators spent three hours debating issues, only one of which related to the NIU students. This student-related issue, the University Housing and Dining Services proposed meal plan, only received a few minutes of attention.

Senator Kevin Miller said he estimates only five to 10 minutes was given to the meal plan.

The plan the NIU Board of Trustees passed discontinues the use of Dining Dollars, instead of encouraging the use of Huskie Bucks for convenience store and private restaurant purchases. The plan also reduces the dollar amount per week for cafeteria use, with the base plan giving students $50 a week instead of $60.

Miller said he’s looking forward to representing the students next year.

“Although the senate has had its problems this year, we have gotten a lot done for the students,” he said.