Undergraduate Student Government (USG) senators formed a committee Saturday to discuss drafting a student bill of rights and responsibilities.

North Halls Sen. Kwamena Entsuah said the purpose of the bill is to "institutionalize" the rights students already have.

"We are trying to take a proactive stance as to 'what do we value in our community' " Entsuah said.

Town Sen. Alexis Francois said Judicial Affairs' Code of Conduct outlines appropriate student behavior but does not address student rights.

"It doesn't outline what we, as students, should always have," Francois said. "There is a need to see those rights and privileges protected. If a policy is enacted that we feel violates these rights, we have something to refer to."

Entsuah said creating a bill of student rights would be "a move toward a more long- term solution" to fixing the student code of conduct.

Judy Albin, associate director for unions and student activities, said there are policies and rules for student organizations at the university, but there is currently no student bill of rights.

"I don't know why there hasn't been such a thing thought of before, especially from the students' point of view," Albin said.

She said her only concern is that the drafters of the bill might not consider the rights of all students. Albin used freedom of speech as an example.

"It's kind of like the anti-abortion posters that came to campus last year," Albin said. "There were a lot of people who were really upset about having them on campus, but the group went through all the processes ... While you may not agree with the position, you still have to allow for the freedom of speech piece."

Entsuah said the committee's goal is to draft a bill for student organizations to include in their constitutions. He said the committee has not decided whether the bill would be extended to students in general.

"Student organizations are the pillars of the community," he said. "We want to make sure that they are always protected."

Francois said the committee, which currently includes members of USG and the Association of Residence Hall Students, plans to draft five rights at each meeting to possibly include in the bill.

She said the bill of rights would also protect student groups, such as the Off-Campus Student Union, that are not considered official student organizations.

"There shouldn't be any distinction made between a student actively involved in an organization and a student who just passionately cares about an issue," she said.

Entsuah said the committee drafted five student rights at Saturday's meeting, but he said he did not want to release them until more voiced their opinions. Six students attended Saturday's meeting, he said. Additional meetings will be held at an undetermined location Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.

"We seek to have a multitude of perspectives, and we didn't get the exact turnout we expected," Entsuah said.

He said the student rights proposed at the meeting "correspond with the basic rights that are already implemented in the university."