Reading Michael Belle's column on Student Government, I found his comments regarding the shortcomings of district senators to be highly misguided. If Belle is looking for evidence of district senators' awareness of issues within their ZIP code, he need look no further than the Student Senate's recent resolution supporting the annexation of the area around Southwest 20th Avenue.
Belle seems to miss the point that a great deal of Senate business does pertain to issues specific to the constituents' living areas. Matters such as Regional Transit System bus service, the availability of bicycle lanes and issues regarding off-campus safety all fall under the umbrella of district senators.
If Belle wishes to understand how district senators come to understand their constituents' needs, I would answer that such an understanding arises as a result of living with and interacting with their constituents on a daily basis. I would challenge Belle to explain how an academic department senator who lives on campus could adequately understand many of the concerns of a student who lives off campus as Belle's proposed plan would require.
