I would like to make it clear why I left the senate meeting early on April 15. The senate did not pass senate bill 98-121D. Senate bill 98-121D specifically stated, “That the Government of the Student Body officially recognizes the Off-Campus Constitution as the governing document of off-campus students of Iowa State University.” Currently, the OCC (Off-Campus Council) has NO representation under the GSB. The university as a whole recognizes the OCC, but the GSB doesn’t. A few minor technicalities prevented this. These technicalities, after reexamination of the bill, could have been handled by a couple of additional “where as” and “enacted” clauses.

Let me put this in the students’ point of view. The off-campus constituents make up nearly 14,000 students, more than half the students at Iowa State University; these students are NOT represented by a council. How could off-campus senators represent such a diverse, difficult to contact and large amount of people without a council to support mass-mailings, mass-e-mails and events? My constituents do not have any appropriate means to contact the student leaders that represent them. Every other group of senators has a way to contact their constituents or can hold an event for their constituents to attend and meet their student leaders and discuss interests. I could not sit with a GSB senate that would not represent 55 percent of the students. I do not understand. Off-campus students have representation through GSB senators, but what good does that do for off-campus students if they do not have a council?

The “backbone” of off-campus representation is OCC. The council, as I see it, is there for two reasons. One, to increase communications between students and the student government. Two, to look into the interests of their constituents. I left because the Government of the Students Body senate did not recognize me as an off-campus senator and as an off-campus student. Represent and recognize, GSB ’98!

James Matthew Peterson

Sophomore

Computer science

Off-Campus Council Senator