Today, the ASSU Undergraduate Senate will vote on a bill to forbid future senators from studying abroad,  mandating that they “shall remain on campus for the duration of their term.” The Editorial Board believes that senators must be on campus in order to sufficiently fulfill the functions of their office. Being on the Senate is about more than just attending meetings–senators must be aware of the day-to-day discourse and atmosphere of campus life, a responsibility for which studying abroad does not allow. That is why we urge the current Senate to pass this bill immediately.

The Editorial Board recognizes that this bill is necessary to end the policy of allowing senators to serve while abroad. This step toward mandating the on-campus presence of senators is crucial to the Senate’s representative function. The student body of Stanford must be engaged by senators in order to truly represent their interests; senators abroad are physically cut-off from campus in a way that digital communication cannot remedy. Furthermore, meeting attendance is only half of a senator’s responsibilities. The true work for the senators comes in meeting with administrators, staff and student groups, working on initiatives and being engaged in public discourse to meet the campus’ needs and concerns. Even if meeting attendance were the crucial factor in a senator’s position, digital technology too easily affords for multitasking, and no accountability measure can be put in place to ensure a senator’s full attention.

Senators who are abroad pose practical problems, but the greater concern is philosophical. The position of senator is one of public service. This service entails making the conscious decision to place the needs of the student body, to some extent, above the personal needs of the senator. The position of senator is not one of entitlement or convenience. When senators are allowed to study abroad, the position becomes one of personal power and not public service. Physical presence is necessary for the intended function of the Senate to be achieved. It is not merely a function of face time on campus. It is a function of being an active member of the campus and serving that community in vote and in action.

The Editorial Board urges the Senate to take the measures necessary to ensure that future senators will be required to remain on campus for the duration of their terms. Public service should be the core tenet of senators’ decisions, whether concerning campus issues or personal academic ventures.