When Student Senate spent nearly $5,000 to buy clickers, the official purpose was to make Senate run more efficiently and to create a voting record for each senator that was supposed to be posted on Senate’s Web site.
But here’s the big kicker: They aren’t using them, at lest not for the intended purposes.
Since getting 94 clickers last February, Senate has used them to take attendance and to determine the outcome of close votes, but as of Tuesday, after seven months of using them, not a single senator’s voting record had been posted on Senate’s Web site.
And the clickers’ hefty price tag was paid by students.
Senate doesn’t need a fancy gizmo to tally votes or create voting records. Why can’t they just count?
When the results of a yea or nay vote are unclear, Senate used to have both the vice president and executive secretary count the raised hands of supporters and then dissenters of a bill.
How long could that have taken?
To manually create senator voting records, which is something that should’ve been done a long time ago, Student Senate could’ve borrowed a page out of the United States Senate’s playbook. United States Senators are called on alphabetically, and their vote is recorded by the secretary.
But Student Senate probably can’t send the clickers back and use the $4,888 on something more worthwhile. They’re stuck with the clickers so might as well continue using them.
Student body president Adam McGonigle, Wichita junior, said he hoped the voting records would be done by this past Monday or Tuesday, but as of Tuesday afternoon they had not.
According to the bill, executive secretary Libby Johnson, Lawrence sophomore, is responsible for posting the records online.
Increasing transparency in Senate has been something the Board has written about before. The Board has asked senators to periodically publish gifts they receive (Editorial: “Better to receive? Not for Senate,” April 16). They have not. Posting voting records is another step Senate needs to take so students can hold their senators accountable.
So what can students do? Ask Johnson why the voting records aren’t online by calling her office at 785-864-5114. Or become a senator and be part of the solution. The replacement senator application deadline is Friday. You can find it on the Senate Web site.
— Ian Stanford for the editorial board
Discussion
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Hey, I was wondering the same thing! Isn't that the whole reason we got them...in the first place? Sure, clickers make the secretary's job a lot easier, and nobody has to count anymore, but wasn't the whole premise of getting these contraptions that my vote would proudly be displayed on the student senate website for all to see (not that anyone would really look, amirite?) and not so that the secretary would have to call out every senator's name? It's no surprise. Last year's administration didn't even have a working website until almost the end of spring semester, and even then it was only after some senators rattled the chains a bit.
tl;dr: Student Senate is broken. Clickers were supposed to help fix it. Instead they are just a toy the secretary uses so he/she doesn't have to take attendance.
Sam, the real problem here is not Student Senate, it's the liberal media and the godless left-wingers who vote for Student Senate. Also White Owl.
I'd Godwin it, too, but I can't figure out how. I'll be back when I can find some analogy that makes someone out to be a Nazi.
My question is : With all the positive student senate does, why is Ian Stan-terd writing about clickers? This truly shows how great the editorial board is! I want my money back! I hope student senate doesn't fund the kansan.
care to enlighten us in some of those great things?? and what is the problem with holding senate accountable?
Ian Stan-turd here. The editorial board would have a much easier time writing about positive things senate does IF THE RECORDS OF THE THINGS SENATE DOES AND VOTES ON WOULD BE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE!
Listen, Stan-turd, your liberal media bias towards transparent student government is unpatriotic. I bet you don't even appreciate the many sacrifices our student senators make every day, just to keep this university open. Support our team! Go BIG JAY!
The purpose of clickers was to hold Senators accountable to their choices on close, controversial votes. That's it. The fact that they aren't up, and the executive staff is dragging their feet, is the real problem, which is I think what Ian was at least attempting to get at.
Woah guys, amid all this talk about accountability for Student Senate, are we possibly missing accountability and openness on the part of the guy who actually wrote this article????
By clicking on 'chestnut's' user name, you can view all of his previous posts, including those on his own articles. This wouldn't be a notable fact if, until just today, he hadn't be posting anonymously.
Is having your article published in the UDK not enough?? Do you think you need to supplement your own editorials with an 'anonymous' post. That's not very transparent.
Chestnut, a wise person once said "those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
pantheon, what are you talking about? You're starting to sound a little nutso.
As for posting voting records online, I think it should be made available what was voted up and what was voted down, but the problem is hiring someone to create the infrastructure to do so. So once we have someone to do it and upkeep it or make it user friendly, then I think it should be easier.
You're absolutely right. By anonymously posting on my own stories I have failed to follow the same principle of being transparent I criticized senate for not following. Very hypocritical, I know.
Though I had never been told this was against the rules, I should've known better. It's a matter of common sense for any journalist that if you reply to someone who has commented on your opinion, you let him/her know up front you authored it. Any person who is involved in a party mentioned in a piece understands this principle.
I have spoken with my editor on this matter. I may very well lose my job, and I understand that because I'm guilty of a serious lapse of judgment.
The Kansan website did not allow me to change my old user name, so I created a new one. Anyone is able to see the anonymous posts I made as Chestnut.
what is so controversial, that we are harping about the negatives? hey super slueths out there, get out your debbie decoder rings and figure this one out. The kansan and whoever writes negative stuff on this one are so mad, or worthless that they are trying to pull up anything they can, because 1) they suck at their job as journalists 2) they cant find anything better to do
Voting records should be posted. We talked about it thorougly in student rights tonight. Writing a negative editorial about it, however, not only looks bad upon the university, the senate, last but not least, the kansas for its horrible writing. Good work Ian Stan-Turd.
... yet this "horrible writing" got Student Senate off its asses and working on getting clicker votes online. That's effective journalism. Quit trying to duck scrutiny if you deserve it.
After all, you should be taken to town more often for raising Student Senate executive pay during the summer to try to duck negative coverage about it.
hawkchalk-
this article was posted before the student rights committee heard that legislation wednesday night. Get your facts straight. As far as the kansan writer- you could probably say the same thing about people in student senate. Lots of us suck at our jobs and can't find anything better to do. That's why we end up with bills banning committee generated legislation. That's also why we have to hear committee generated legislation sometimes.
Sometimes I can't tell whether or not the Kansan is a news paper or toilet paper, but in this instance it's getting the job done. this article was posted, and who knows, maybe my voting record will be posted online for nobody to look at. I say that because it's a good idea and it should happen, but who will really look at it? most senators serve only one term anyways...
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