Proposed changes to the Student Senate constitution failed this week during the last business meeting of the year.

A measure put forward by Senate President Tim Fisher would have rolled together Senate with the Campus Activities Board to create one body in charge of student funds and changed the name to Student Government Association.

Fisher said he felt it was important to students to have some say in how the student activity fees are distributed.

The proposed changes would have placed two student senators on the executive board of the CAB. Currently CAB officers are not allowed to hold office in Senate.

“I think they do a great job,” Fisher said. “But I think it’s something students care about to make this group [Senate] a representative body in charge of spending money, but yet they allow a faculty member, an administrator to spend their money on another issue – I don’t get it.”

CAB membership is open to all students, the group meets to discuss proposed activities, but the final decision is made by the director of student activities.

Other proposed changes would have had senators elected as representatives of their academic department instead of class, with one representative for all 26 departments and 10 free seats. Not discussed, but included was creation of a student affairs committee to hear student concerns.

After vigorous discussion, the measure failed in a closed ballot vote of 18 against, one abstention and five in favor.

“I think it failed because people didn’t read it when it was posted on Monday,” Fisher said.

A motion was made to continue discussion on Blackboard, but was withdrawn as a violation of open meetings law. Senate discussed holding another meeting to consider revising the proposal, but that motion also failed.

If approved, the measure would have required approval by two-thirds of the student body in the officer elections on April 28 and 29.