A resolution to amend the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Senate bylaws was tabled during last night's meeting until a parliamentarian is appointed to sit at Senate meetings.

Senators said a parliamentarian is needed to advise them on the interpretation of the new bylaws and to help USG Vice President Kris Ankarlo facilitate discussion on the legislation.

The changes to the bylaws are extensive, deleting much of the current document and adding many new provisions to it.

Two major aspects that the bylaws could change are the structure of standing Senate committees and the time allotted to open student forum, a part of Senate meetings allowing students to openly voice their concerns before the legislative body.

Sean Miller, Legislative and Appropriations Review Committee (LARC) chair, said limiting open student forum to a maximum of 30 minutes is simply wrong because listening to students is what senators are elected to do. The current bylaws allow each student to speak for 10 minutes.

"If it takes five hours to listen to students, then we will hear them for five hours," Miller said.

The bylaws would merge the current committees LARC and Senate Appointments Review Board (SARB).

The members of these committees have been working together for almost half a year and have already established relationships with state legislators, students and other organizations, Miller said.

"Combining these two standing committees would be detrimental to USG Senate," he said. "The changes will set us back."

By merging the two committees, the 24 senators working together will be reduced to 10, Miller added.

SARB Chair Kristen Kofmehl agreed with Miller.

"SARB and LARC have too much responsibility for one person to handle and do a good job," Kofmehl said.

A resolution was drafted during the meeting to grant Senate President Bridget Van Osten the power to appoint a parliamentarian who would sit at meetings until Matt Midles could arrive. Midles is USG's current parliamentarian who cannot attend meetings on time due to a conflict with his class schedule. The resolution did not pass with 11 senators in favor, 13 opposed and two abstaining.

Kofmehl opposed the resolution because allowing Midles to take over for a substitute parliamentarian during the middle of a meeting could present differing interpretations of Robert's Rules of Order, she said.

"I just have a problem with lack of continuity," Kofmehl said.

Town Sen. Mike Gallo said it is ridiculous that Senate has not had a parliamentarian at its meetings.

Miller, who was in favor of the resolution, said Midles is overly qualified, and it would be ridiculous to replace him. "It is not his fault that he has a required class," Miller said.