This has got to be a first.” Those were the words of the Government of the Student Body speaker of the senate, Tony Luken, earlier this year when the GSB Senate passed a bill allotting more than $24,000 to student groups. The amount of money was nothing unique to GSB. It was that senators asked absolutely no questions before passing the bill.

“We just gave about $24,000 to about a dozen student groups,” said David Boike, finance director, in an Oct. 31 Daily article. “Normally there’s always debate, something always gets divided out. This year, senate just passed it. I’m amazed, I don’t know what to think.”

This behavior seems to be typical of our new GSB Senate, which has not done anything remarkable this year.While once the GSB Senate was ridden with scandals, controversy and decisions that impacted the entire student body, this year little has been brought forth to the senate that is worthy of mention.

So many bills have made it through without the heated debates that were typical of the senate even just a year ago. To date, the senate has approved all bills brought to its floor, save two: one regarding dress code and another requesting funding. That’s made for a less than exciting year.

The senate is young. Several of the senators are new this year, and the landscape of the senate has been changing throughout the semester. It’s been wonderful to get new blood flowing, but several have yet to write a bill on their own.

We need to see more action from the senate, and more thought should be evident in the decisions it is making.

Other facets of GSB are starting to drag as well: Even the Web site still touts the GSB Comedy Festival, which happened last week. And the “Legislation” section of the site has bills from last April, but stops at Sept. 25.

We need to see more current information on the site. Katharine Gordon, who resigned more than a month ago, is still listed as the GSB senator for the Graduate College.

If you’re on the senate and have yet to write a bill, are you really serving your constituents? Similarly, if you’ve only written bills regarding another organization you’re involved with but not the area of Iowa State you were elected to represent, are you even going out to speak to your constituents?

We believe our student government should be taken seriously. But when a bulk of the work is pressed upon those who are GSB veterans, it’s hard to put faith in the new members we elected last spring.

Start shaking things up, senators. Let us know you’re there, and why you cared enough to vie for a spot on the senate in the first place.

Editorial Board:Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Ayrel Clark, Charlie Weaver, Rachel Faber Machacha, Zach Calef.