By: Rebecca Walwyn
Editor’s note: Due to the nature of our campus, some Accent staff members are also employed in other on-campus organizations. We chose to quote Asher LeVos, Collegedale Community News managing editor, in the context of his role as Student Association parliamentarian. To avoid conflict of interest, LeVos did not contribute to the writing or editing of this article.
Southern Adventist University’s Student Association (SA) Senate is reviewing its election procedures after discovering its current process may be in violation of existing Senate bylaws. Currently, SA senator positions are filled by appointing select students. However, questions were raised about the possibility of letting the student body elect them directly. Senators discussed the issue during an Oct. 8 Senate meeting, when they considered a proposal on how student elections and voting districts could work on campus.
The Senate is scheduled to meet again on Thursday, Oct. 22, to reopen and possibly vote on the proposal. During this time, senators will have the opportunity to suggest changes before a decision is made.
“The 2025-26 Student Association Senate team identified this problem but did not have time to solve it,” stated Asher LeVos, a sophomore history major and SA parliamentarian. “This year, the Bylaws Committee has taken another look at it and has proposed to Senate a solution for how voting and districting could function.”
In an interview, Dennis Negrón, vice president of Student Development, explained that the Bylaws Committee examined the bylaws last year and the Elections Manual this year.
“Members realized the current selection process did not match the written rules, and we need to do something about it,” Negrón said.
What is the Senate?
The SA Senate is the legislative branch of Southern’s student government. According to the SA Constitution, the Senate is responsible for representing students, reviewing SA policies and making decisions about funding and campus projects.
Students are divided into districts based on their academic departments. Those districts are then divided into smaller groups, with one senator assigned for around 90 students.
Senators are responsible for representing students’ interests and concerns in their precincts by bringing them up in Senate meetings. According to the SA Bylaws, senators are expected to attend meetings, serve on committees, review funding requests and stay connected with the students they represent. They are also required to email meeting minutes to their constituents shortly after the Senate meetings.
The Senate meets every other week, and its meetings are open to SA members and university students. According to Southern’s SA website, Senate positions are filled through an interview and selection process conducted by the SA Executive Cabinet.
However, the SA also has an Elections Manual that outlines procedures for electing senators. The difference between those two processes is now part of the Senate’s discussion.
The SA Constitution includes a process for appointing senators at the beginning of each semester. Under Article VI, Section 6, the SA executive vice president makes legislative appointments after consulting with the parliamentarian and executive secretary.
However, the publicly available Elections Manual states that Senate elections must take place within the first four weeks of the school year. It also outlines requirements for students seeking to become candidates, including obtaining signatures from a minimum of 20 members of the precinct they wish to represent.
LeVos explained that senator’s elections are already included in the SA’s governing rules.
“Because Senator elections are already on the books, they will not be removed unless a new proposal from the Bylaws Committee is brought to Senate and wins a 2/3 majority vote,” LeVos stated.
This means the current discussion is not simply about introducing new senate elections; instead, senators are reviewing how the existing election requirements could be put into practice.
“The proposal under discussion was created to define the boundaries of how voting and districting could take place at Southern,” LeVos stated.
Although the Constitution includes an appointment process, questions remain about how that process relates to the election requirements in the Elections Manual.
How Long Has This Been an Issue?
Questions remain regarding how long senators have been appointed rather than elected, as well as why the current process continued. According to reporting notes provided by Senator Don Lloyd, the issue may have been known within the Senate for approximately 10 years.
Negrón clarified that earlier Senate action had not been recorded, and there were no on-record changes made to the Constitution or bylaws.
According to Negrón, under Martha Freire, executive vice president, and Moses Meyer as president, changes were made as to how senators were selected during the 2016-2017 school year. Negrón said he did not recall if elections were in place before that year but knows they have not happened or been addressed since.
Lloyd’s notes also identified Negrón as the person who brought renewed attention to the election procedures. LeVos confirmed that the issue was identified by the 2025–26 Senate team but was not resolved before the end of that school year.
The Bylaws Committee has since returned to the issue and developed a proposal for senators to consider. According to the SA Bylaws, the committee is responsible for reviewing the Constitution, bylaws and Elections Manual each year and recommending changes when necessary. The committee also helps oversee SA elections.
When asked why the inconsistency had continued, Negrón said senators had been carrying out their work, but that area had not been given attention.
“The Election Manual can be overlooked very easily,” he said. “Senators aren’t reading the documents.”
Negrón said he and Alexis Grentz, director of Student Life and Activities, decided to review a part of senators’ orientation.
LeVos, who serves as parliamentarian, leads the Bylaws Committee. His responsibilities include advising the Senate on its governing documents, helping organize Senate procedures, and reviewing the rules that guide the SA. According to LeVos, the committee’s current work could help clarify how senators are selected and how students participate in the process.
LeVos said the upcoming meeting will also allow senators to make changes to the proposal before voting.
“An initial discussion took place this week,” LeVos stated, “and in two weeks Senate will vote on the proposed solution, with the ability to make amendments.”
If the proposal is approved, it could provide clearer instructions for organizing Senate elections and determining which students vote for particular representatives. The timing of future elections and the details of how students would participate have not yet been confirmed.
Student Opinions
The Senate’s discussion raises questions about how students feel about the current appointment process and whether they would prefer to elect their representatives.
According to Lloyd, students are currently able to voice opinions by directly emailing their senator as well as Senate surveys included in post-meeting emails.
Though students can communicate with their senators, the current selection process does not give them the same direct role in choosing representatives as an election.
Narden Jean-Jacques, a sophomore construction management major, said he is concerned that student’s voices are not being represented.
“At my old school, Fletcher [Academy], students got to vote in who represented them,” Jean-Jacques said. “We voted for most of our student government positions, and I think we should be able to do that here too.”
When preparing for the upcoming vote, LeVos offered students a recommendation.
“As parliamentarian, I highly encourage all students to read the Election Manual and share their comments or concerns with their Senator.”
