The Student Association Senate on Sunday passed a measure that supported the creation of a commission to review differential tuition.

The measure calls for the commission, which is to be comprised of those who are for, against and in the middle in terms of differential tuition to present a report to the Senate by its final meeting in April.

“We want an open line of communication,” said Sen. Andrea Duncan, who co-sponsored the legislation with Raymond Duncan, the speaker of the Senate.

A tense debate over questionable spending ensued between members of the Senate and Robert Bucker, the dean of the Peck School of the Arts, at the Senate’s last meeting Feb. 26.

“Unless we open the channels of communication, we have no say in what goes on,” said Sen. Drew Baryenbruch.

The SA executive branch is planning to put together the commission on differential tuition. Duncan said she expects the process to be that of any other application process.

“It’s a good thing to see exactly what they are spending on differential tuition,” said Sen. Emily Carlton.

One of the items that caused the most discussion between the senators and Bucker is the new hand ID security system that the Peck School of the Arts has installed on some of its facilities to allow its students 24/7 access.

“Hopefully it’s (the measure) a step toward better relations,” Duncan said.

But a few senators did not approve of the measure.

Sen. Joseph Ohler called it “redundant,” adding that the executive branch’s efforts in forming a commission would trump that of the Senate.

The four schools that assess differential tuition are the Peck School of the Arts, the School of Business Administration, the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the College of Nursing. The Senate endorsed differential tuition for the School of Architecture and Urban Planning last semester.

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