For additional info on what you and the Senator will be expected to work on, please read the following:

The Role of the La Raza Senator: The Delaware Undergraduate Student Senate was formed in 2005 in an effort to give a greater voice to university based organizations, especially those within the minority community.  Each student organization is permitted to appoint one Senator who will represent the organization in Senate meetings.  The Senator is responsible for drafting and voting on legislation that impacts all University students, faculty, and staff.  La Raza recognizes the importance of the legislative body, so much in fact that our organization created the position of The Junior Senator - someone who is authorized to act in the absence of the primary Senator.  Our role in the Senate is extremely important, especially in light of the Senate's current composition.

**Drafting Legislation - The La Raza Senator is responsible for drafting, supporting and pushing legislation that advances the organization's agenda.  The La Raza Senator is also expected to form Legislative Alliances with other Senators in an effort to defeat proposed legislation that is inconsistent with the agenda of our organization and its allies.  Legislation, also known as resolutions, should be drafted if and when the Executive Board authorizes the Senator to do so. 

In its first year, over 100 resolutions were presented to the Senate and La Raza's was the first one to be picked up and supported by the legislative body.  Our legislation called for an assessment of the transportation system, or lack thereof, that serviced Laird Campus - the home of the majority of minority students at the University of Delaware.  The Senate overwhelmingly embraced our concerns, paving the way for the creation of additional bus routes and the re-routing of existing lines to accommodate the Laird Campus for the 2005/2006 school year.  It is important to note: Drafting legislation should not necessarily be a high priority for the Senator, unless a REAL concern calls for action by La Raza and its allies.

**Monitoring The Senate Floor - Although resolution writing is somewhat limited by the Board, the La Raza Senator is expected to aggressively protect our organization's agenda by defeating resolutions that threaten our agenda.  For the most part, the La Raza Senator should place an emphasis on monitoring legislation that is embraced by the Senate and analyzing how it could potentially impact minority communities.

The Student Senate has historically consisted of mostly representatives from mainstream greek organizations.  Unfortunately, La Raza has only been consistently joined by The Black Student Union, HOLA, and The Caribbean Student Alliance in the Senate.  Apathy plagues many of our minority organizations, leading to their failure to send representatives to this important student body.  Based on this historical fact, as Senator, it will be important that you make sure the mainstream representatives, who with respect have agendas that deviate far from La Raza's, do not damage our communities. Closely monitor the proposed resolutions and defend our rights and privileges at the University of Delaware if they are ever threatened!

La Raza needs you to take more of a watch-dog approach than an active policy driven approach.  The Senate can and will serve our agenda when the time is right - therefore, resolution writing should take place strategically because there is no need to contribute to the flood of frivolous empty resolutions that often find their way to the Senate floor.

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Es La Verdad - En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!  - The Campus Alliance of La Raza