The following was given to the Pioneer to post as a notification by the student government.

You as a student at this campus are a member of the Associated Students of Pierce College Fort Steilacoom. The Student Government teams of over the past 2 years have reviewed the current articles in place and felt there was a need to update them.  Allow us to break down the main changes and some of the rationale we have discussed that justifies the changes.

• In the current Constitution and By-laws the Student Government team is elected and we have chosen to change to selections:
  • Many of the schools in the state now have this model in effect.
  • Puyallup Campus has moved to this.
  • The schools that have moved to this method have noticed that it promotes higher quality applicants and a higher level of interest in the positions available on the Student government team.
  • With the considered changes to the team we are raising the bar for the GPA requirements:
    • Within the Student Government teams there has been frequent turnover of members who do not meet the current grade requirements.
    • By raising the bar we are hoping that the applicants will be high caliber students who will already be equipped with the skills needed to balance the demands of the job and their first, and most important, role as a student.
    • We are making changes to the Student Government positions:
      • There is a new addition of a Legislative Senator to really spearhead Legislative matters of our students.
      • The new documents merge the Student Relations and Campus Affairs Senators into the new Student Affairs Senator to maximize these separate roles into one power house role.
      • We are proposing changes in the Clubs and Organizations Ratification structure:
        • We are setting forth a more streamlined clubs and organizations ratification process.
        • The effort is to lessen the stress on the clubs for requirements that must be fulfilled

The last thing you need to know is that you, as a member of the student body, have a chance to vote on our proposal. This is not a process that blindsides the students because it is the students that we represent. You can have a chance to get questions answered at the Hot Topics with SG next Tuesday the 18^th at 12pm in the Fireside Lounge. The Election will be scheduled for Tuesday the 25^th and will have polling stations in the Student Life Lobby.

The above information on the proposed changes in the student constitution and by-laws was written by Sarah Wood, ASPCFS Vice President.