“There are some senators who do not fully understand the obligations when they begin their term.”
– Raymond Duncan, speaker of the Senate

There are 14 vacant seats on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Student Association Senate, and two positions may not be filled in the upcoming elections, according to the official list of candidates released Monday.

Speaker of the Senate Raymond Duncan said past elections were unsuccessful in filling all the vacant seats, therefore senators are appointed according to the SA Bylaws.

The official list of candidates released on Monday, April 10, shows that there are fewer candidates than seats available for the School of Education and the Graduate School.

A full Senate is comprised of 50 students, each representing the different colleges and schools on campus. Ten of those seats are for people representing all students, and five seats are appointed in late September to freshmen or students who have transferred, Duncan said in an e-mail.

As mandated by the SA Bylaws, the Senate automatically appoints freshmen and transfer students, however these five seats are not the exception.

Right now, 12 other senators have been appointed to the dwindling Senate, rather than being elected by the student body.

There are three vacant seats for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, three for the College of Letters and Science, three for the School of Education, two for the graduate school, one for the College of Health Sciences, one for the School of Architecture and Urban Planning and one for the School of Business Administration.

“There is a turnover in the Student Association and other student organizations throughout the year,” Duncan said. “There are some senators who do not fully understand the obligations when they begin their term. Some find other things to get involved in.”

This year, about 15 senators have been automatically removed for not meeting basic requirements, such as attending the SA meetings (which must have half of all current members, plus one, to meet) and sitting on two university committees alongside professors, faculty and administrators.

Duncan said that he advertised the vacant seats on the SA Web site in accordance with the bylaws and talked to student organizations about getting the seats filled. He also writes directly to students in his column “Getting to Know the Student Association with Ray Duncan, Speaker of the Senate,” which appears in The Leader.

Despite the ongoing vacancies, Duncan is convinced that filling vacant seats this year was a success.

“I did better this year for SA because we were able to fill so many vacancies,” he said. “However, there is always more to do.”

His goals for the upcoming Senate include increasing diversity and building organized teams.

“I believe that diversity is about empowering people and promoting the human spirit,” he said. “It makes an organization effective by capitalizing on all the strengths of each employee.”

He explained further that diversity is about understanding, valuing and making the most of the individual differences found in each and every person.

“The way to accomplish this is to put efforts and money toward recruitment and by talking to all students,” he said. “It is a harder job than just recruiting friends, but I’m convinced that it can work.”

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