For the final time this fall semester, Student Senate met with the intentions of bringing positive changes to campus, ultimately being eclipsed by lengthy banter and emotions running high.

Toward the final portion of Sunday’s meeting, an item on the agenda pertaining to a senator not being appointed was brought up by Senator Mary Mercier. The senator in question, who was not present at the meeting, was freshman Logan Herring.

Under the rules of senate, there are three seats reserved for freshmen. Herring and three others applied for the freshmen senator positions.

Because there were a total of four applicants, there would have been a need for a special election, had all four applicants gone through. However, because of a miscommunication, Herring was unable to become a senator. The miscommunication in no way reflected Herring, according to the senate, because it was a simple mistake.

There was a debate that called for a special clause in the constitution to allow for four freshmen senators, instead of three, for just the 2014-2015 year.

Faculty advisor Rich Murphy noted that a clause like this would set precedence for future senators, while President Janzen noted that adopting this kind of clause at face value would require a brand new election.

For reasons that seemed unclear to others present at the meeting, Senators Bish, Hakinson, Mercier and Boggess turned the issue to President Nolan Janzen.

In the packet presenting the issue, there was a series of text messages and e-mail exchanges between Janzen and Herring highlighting the miscommunication.

Mercier and the other senators listed above claimed that these exchanges being printed were not in any way a personal attack on Janzen. Janzen, however, argued that because this was one of the complaints in the original impeachment hearing, this was a personal attack, and it did not benefit the discussion or the meeting.

Senator Kori Witt brought the room down when she said something that seemed to be on everyone’s mind, that no one wanted to say out loud. Witt noted that in most of the meetings she has attended, there has been some form of irrelevant dialogue brought up seemingly against Janzen. Other senators followed suit and asked what they (Mercier, Boggess and others) hoped to accomplish with this, and why the issue was being brought up at that time.

As the conversation continued, Janzen asserted himself as president and called for the motion that started the argument. The motion to add, for the 2014-2015 academic year only, a clause to include a fourth freshmen senator, did not meet the two-thirds majority, and thus did not pass.

Senate did approve several changes to the constitution, mainly the typo corrections, as well as a new format for budgeted allocations money that will take effect in April of next year. The new budget packet will be made available for clubs to submit their requests for allocations sometime in 2015.

This was the last meeting for the senate of the fall semester. Some senators who are departing at semester received an appropriate round of applause for their service to the senate and to the campus community. The senate will recess for Thanksgiving break and the ensuing winter break before reconvening in January 2015.