During this week’s Undergraduate Senate meeting, senators primarily focused on passing the “Bill to Allow for the Discussion of Donald Rumsfeld’s Legacy.” The bill passed fourteen to one, but not without discussion as to whether this issue was pertinent to the Undergraduate Senate and its responsibilities.

The bill advocates a campus-wide forum with Donald Rumsfeld, during which students would have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss concerns with Rumsfeld himself. In the case that Rumsfeld rejects the invitation, the Senate would still hold an event in which students could debate a variety of issues with one another regarding Rumsfeld, his appointment and even his policies.

At the beginning of last night’s meeting, Adam Hudson ‘10 reminded the Senate that Rumsfeld and his presence on campus are still very important to many students, regardless of whether they are in support of him or not.

“I know that a lot of people think that since the last bill [against Rumsfeld’s appointment] died, we shouldn’t focus on this again,” Hudson said. “But, I have talked to many students about this issue, and just because this bill died with the ASSU within these walls, that doesn’t mean the bill died outside of these walls.”

“One thing that is for certain is that [this issue] is on the minds of the people,” he added. “If the ASSU can’t take a stand for or against Rumsfeld, you can provide a forum for the 6,000 students and faculty that have taken a stance.”

However, Senator Stuart Baimel ‘09 believed the bill lacked substantial purpose.

“This bill is not taking a position on anything,” he said. “[It] supports political activism. I think that it is already clear that the Undergraduate Senate supports political activism.”

“We should be making bills that either express strong statements of campus sentiment or that will get something done in terms of our relationship with the administration,” he added.

Senator and author of the bill Sarah Golabek-Goldman ‘10 emphasized the bill’s role to acknowledge the student voice regarding the issue by providing the campus community with such an event.

“While there is nothing that we can do about Rumsfeld being here,” Golabek-Goldman said, “we can invite him to speak and give students the opportunity to ask him questions. If he declines that invitation, we can discuss the criteria used to offer him the distinguished visiting fellow title.”

“The ASSU cannot control [whether the Hoover Institution invites Rumsfeld or not],” she continued, “but we can make a substantial impact by supporting political activism and giving students the opportunity to speak.”

Aside from passing the bill regarding Rumsfeld’s Legacy, the Senate discussed the new elections policies for the upcoming campus elections in March. Elections Commissioner Ryan Woessner ‘10 presented his new policies to the Senate.

Woessner intends to hold a “Sticker Crusade” — an event where all candidates are handed 200 stickers that must be posted on all flyers and posters — in order to make sure that all candidates adhere to fair campaign policies. By having stickers on all flyers, monitoring fair campaigns will be easier and more convenient than in past elections.

Also during the meeting, ASSU President Hershey Avula ‘08 and Vice President Mondaire Jones ‘09 announced Stanford Idol, the ASSU’s newest social programming initiative. A $500 prize will be awarded to the first place winner of the competition, a spin-off of the hit television show “American Idol.” Avula also discussed efforts to make Old Union a more social student environment by potentially adding foosball tables and Xbox 360 video game systems.