The ASSU Undergraduate Senate considered a second plea on Tuesday to amend a bill mandating the on-campus presence of senators for the duration of their terms, starting with the 13th Senate in fall 2011.

Senator Anton Zietsman ’12 tried to make an amendment last week that would apply the bill to the recently elected 12th Senate — namely forcing Senator-elect Ben Jensen ’12 to decide between a quarter abroad or a seat on the Senate.

After a straw poll last week revealed Zietsman was alone in his stance, he came prepared to roll with the punches yesterday.

Armed with a formal speech, he outlined issues of both ethics and efficacy as key reasons why the bill ought to be effective immediately. Zietsman claimed to have received the support of “many” students for the proposed amendment.

“You cannot adequately represent and advocate on behalf of your constituents when you are more than 3,000 miles from campus,” he said, adding, “the notion that Skyping in is an acceptable substitute for a physical presence is ludicrous.”

Zietsman denied the amendment was a “personal attack” on Jensen. He said a personal conflict between serving office and a fall quarter at Stanford in Washington had dashed his initial plans to run for re-election.

“For me to exercise such restraint upon myself and then witness others fail to do so,” Zietsman said, “is something that I have experienced as profoundly frustrating and fundamentally unjust.”

Jensen to Withdraw from Berlin Program

Jensen said after some hesitation that he has decided to withdraw from the Berlin program for fall quarter so he can remain on campus to fulfill his duties as a senator. He said he would apply to spend spring quarter of his term in Berlin.

“The issues I’m going to work with next year are vital for me to be on campus,” Jensen said.

He has until May 31 to submit his intention to withdraw.

After a second straw poll, the amendment had garnered the support of four other senators, three of whom have served part their terms away from campus. Zachary Warma ’11 and Adam Creasman ‘11, who made Skype calls from the east coast, for example, supported Zietsman’s amendment.

But the amendment failed under the weight of eight senators who remained unconvinced that the bill should apply to the incoming Senate.

Administration and Rules Chair Alex Katz ’12 ultimately rejected the amendment for a second time.

Sans amendment, the ratified bill passed, preventing any senator from spending time abroad or off-campus for extended periods of time, effective with the 13th Senate.

Executive Cabinet Salaries Central to Budget Talks

As the Senate prepares its own budget for next year and considers the budget of the ASSU at large, some members called into question the contrast between executive cabinet member pay with that of other student leaders on campus, especially in light of a bill the Senate recently passed to cut back significantly on senator paychecks.

Katz, who has advocated against the use of ASSU money, said he is likely to submit a detailed amendment for the body’s consideration next week.

ASSU President-elect Angelina Cardona ’11 suggested that she and incoming Vice President Kelsei Wharton ’12, a current senator, have already reallocated between $4,000 and $5,000 from cabinet salaries to the discretionary budget and are in the midst of considering other adjustments.

While current ASSU President David Gobaud, a coterminal student in computer science, has offered portions of his own executive salary to cabinet initiatives, the precedent is not necessarily expected or recommended, said ASSU Financial Manager Matt McLaughlin ’08.

Moving Toward Transition

The Senate continues to waffle about an appropriate time for its dissolution. While Katz and Zietsman shared similar sentiments about a later transition date, pushing it back until the second half of the quarter, others urged a more rapid turnover of the senatorial reins.

In other business, McLaughlin said that despite numerous complications to the refund process, the effort to return the $14 in special fees overcharged to each student last year is underway.

All funding bills for the meeting were passed.