The Government of the Student Body’s Election Commission has been discussing the apportionment for the number of senators allowed for each college and residency area. This apportionment process will be completed at Wednesday’s GSB meeting, when the Senate will confirm the number of seats.

Mark Sullivan, senior in chemistry and first-year member of the commission, described the apportionment process as “concrete,” since it is an annual process spelled out in the bylaws.

The number of senators from each college or residency area is dependent on the number of students in each precinct. Sullivan said for every 1,500 students in the college or residency, there will be one senator seated.

“Each student is represented by at least two senators on GSB,” said Daniel Fischer, GSB president and senior in agricultural business.

Fischer said the highest populated student area is off campus, and therefore it currently has nine Senate seats to represent the community. The next most populated constituency is the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, represented by four senators.

Sullivan said the process of determining how many senators for each respective precinct was a relatively simple one, as the number of students could be determined by enrollment forms from the Registration Office.

The number of senators has potential to fluctuate, Fischer said, although drastic changes are not likely.

“One college or living area would have to change significantly — it did not happen this year, but has happened in the past,” he said.

Fischer said, however, this year GSB could potentially have a full Senate for the first time in four years. Only one more graduate college senator is needed to fill every seat in the Senate.

“The graduate college senators have been working on filling this position,” he said. “However, a lot of graduate students have different time commitments and it’s hard to get in contact with those students interested in the position.”

Fischer said the position should be filled by the end of the fall semester.

After the apportionment of senators is finished, and every seat in the Senate has been filled, the commission will begin work on the election process for next year’s term, Sullivan said.

He also said the commission has begun reviewing the election laws and has plans to set a timeline for the spring 2009 election.

Once the process formally begins, Sullivan said, the commission will need to recruit candidates interested in either executive or legislative positions, organize debates and make sure the candidates’ campaigns are valid. The commission is also in charge of approving the campaign material the candidates intend to hand out, such as buttons and posters.

The campaign process should be in full swing within the next couple of months.