The Oct. 23 Student Government meeting saw a detailed outline of a proposed senate structure system and questions from representatives about the constitutional rewrite review, a presentation from the Lafayette Activities Forum and an update on the upcoming executive board elections.

Student Government President Alex Brown ‘26, alongside Parliamentarian Bryan Kibet ‘27, presented the proposed senate structure, detailing how it will allow students from each class year to directly elect seven “senators” from their peers. Students will only be allowed to vote within their own class year.

If approved, the election process will replace the current system, in which the executive board hand-selects class representatives through interviews and appointments. In the past several years, representative vacancies have notoriously plagued Student Government, with the organization most recently having entered the fall semester with four vacancies. All four vacancies were filled in September.

Following several questions from representatives about the new system, Brown clarified that candidates would run on specific platforms when running for a senate position, and in the event of a vacancy, the vacant position would still be filled by appointment.

Other proposed changes from the committee rewriting the constitution included splitting the current communications officer position into two roles: a secretary and a communications chair. The secretary position would be responsible for writing meeting minutes, overseeing the Student Government website and carrying out internal scheduling and documentation. The communications chair would be charged with more campus-facing responsibilities, including branding, outreach, transparency and campus communications.

Pending a vote from Student Government, these changes would then be voted on by the faculty and the Board of Trustees, with changes going into full effect in January.

Changes to the bylaws are also on the table, with the possibility of a new Internal Affairs Committee and expansion of the parliamentarians’ responsibilities, though these changes have not been fully discussed or voted on by members.

Following the discussion on the potential rewrite, students from the Lafayette Activities Forum gave a presentation on their event planning process and a breakdown of their budget. The organization is funded by both the college’s operational budget and Student Government, the former used for late-night programming, entertainment and operational expenses, and the latter for campus traditions like Rivalry Week and Spring Fest.

The meeting concluded with an announcement that 14 candidates were running for executive positions in the upcoming executive board elections.

A candidate forum moderated by The Lafayette will take place on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. in Colton Chapel.