By Myles Goldman

On Thursday night, March 3 at their bi-weekly meeting the Student Council passed the first of several amendments they are voting on this spring.  Over the last two months the council has been brainstorming new amendment proposals.  The first amendment discussed and passed was whether the Student Council Executive Board, which includes the Student Council President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Executive Chairs, Member at large, Historian, and the Communications Chair, would be elected before the general in-school elections in April. 

Currently, the Executive Board is voted on by the new council at the start of the school year in September.  Under the new amendment, the current year’s council will determine next year’s Executive Board.  As a result, all of the members who are voted onto the executive board for next year will automatically be on the general Student Council and will not be on the ballot for the student body election.  

The council had a heated debate on the amendment before taking the vote.  Several council members voiced concerns about how the new amendment will make the executive board comprised of students who were not necessarily voted in by the student body, thereby weakening the power of the student body to vote for their representatives. 

On the other side, those in favor of the amendment believe that by having the current council vote on next year’s Executive Board, the Executive Board election will be less about popularity and more about who will do the best job leading the entire council.  Many council members like junior Amy Haskell hope the new amendment will help walk-on Executive Board candidates win elections.

“We’re really excited about the opportunity to give kids who aren’t necessary elected by their class the opportunity to be an officer,” Haskell commented.

Council members in favor of the amendment also argued for holding the board elections in April to avoid incoming freshmen from voting.  The rationale was that too often incoming freshmen don’t know any of the candidates and simply choose the candidate who gives the most entertaining speech. 

To address this concern, one council member suggested that if the amendment didn’t pass, the council could vote on a new amendment which would simply prevent freshmen from voting in the Executive Board election.  Since the amendment did pass, though, this proposal became null and void.   

The other result of the amendment passing is that there will be less walk-on representatives on the general council. Students are considered a “walk-on” candidate if they ran for student council or class officer but did not win.  The students in this position are able to apply to be on council and if selected asked to join.  The number of council members on the general council will now be capped at 51.  This will then limit the number of walk-ons. 

In the coming weeks the Student Council will vote on at least two more amendments.  Regarding the amendment process as a whole, Student Council President Kasey Packer is pleased about how the process is conducted.

Packer commented, “The amendment process within the Student Council is a very exciting process and a wonderful hands-on opportunity for members. … Westborough High School Student Council is made up of a dynamic group of students, students that whole-heartedly believe in providing for their peers in every way possible.”