As the first GUSA Senate draws to a close, GUSA leaders said that the group helped move forward some important issues, but that progress was hindered by institutional hurdles.

After the creation of the Senate was approved by a referendum of the student body in October, members of the student association said that the new body – which is larger and has smaller electorates than its predecessor, the now-defunct GUSA Assembly – would be more accountable to the student body. But as GUSA prepares to announce its second class of senators on Monday, its leaders say that not everything has gone as planned, but the decision nevertheless had its payoffs.

Senators represent geographic districts of campus, unlike members of the Assembly, who represented their classes.

“In theory, [geographical representation] is more democratic. In practice, it makes for much longer meetings,” said Matthew Appenfeller (COL ’08), a former senator who was elected GUSA vice president in February.

“It was a major accomplishment for the Senate that they got their bylaws written, but the role of GUSA is not to serve themselves, but to serve students. This year, they’re going to have to focus on much more pragmatic and achievable goals that improve student life,” Appenfeller said.

GUSA members said that low attendance and the bureaucratic hurdles of instituting bylaws reduced the Senate’s productivity. Natalie Murchison (COL ’10), an outgoing senator, said that only about two-thirds of senators were typically present at meetings.

“Many people became really disillusioned and did not show up, whereas had they expressed their grievances to the group, we could have tried to change internally,” Murchison said.

Eden Schiffmann (COL ’08), chief of staff for former GUSA president Twister Murchison (SFS ’08) and a member of THE HOYA’s editorial board, said the full Senate has met once this academic year, and several times in small committees.

“[The Senate] didn’t pan out quite the way I thought it would, but it’s still young. If senators reach out more to students, instead of expecting them to come to them, then I think it will work out in the way it was designed,” Appenfeller said.

Some GUSA members said that one of the Senate’s major accomplishments was the establishment of the Finance and Appropriations Committee, which gave the Senate the sole power to audit, investigate and allocate money to Georgetown’s student organizations. Every semester, each student’s mandatory activity fee of $50 is pooled into a fund that averages to around $500,000 for the year, Schiffmann (COL ’08) said. Previously, clubs submitted funds requests without examining the budget as a whole – as a result, several thousand dollars had accumulated and remained unused before last year, Schiffmann said.

“There was no accountability, no auditing and no oversight. The amount of money they discovered that was wasted was huge,” Schiffmann said.

Schiffmann said the Finance and Appropriations Committee used the funds to expand weekend GUTS bus service last year, and he and att Stoller (COL ’08), both of whom ran in uncontested races for the Senate this week, said they hope to direct the funds toward increasing wireless access on campus.

The Senate also lobbied the university administration to reform the alcohol policy and circulated a petition that proposed harnessing 30 percent of campus electricity from renewable resources, Stoller, Murchison’s deputy chief of staff, said.

Stoller said he was pleased with the work of the Senate.

“I think the first Senate term went really well, considering what we were faced with,” he said.

GUSA President Ben Shaw (COL ’08) said he was looking forward to collaborating with the incoming Senate.

“I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to work with the Senate on many projects,” he said.