There is a discussion in Ottawa University Student Senate that could affect every student seeking a leadership role in the senate or the position of student body president.
Jacob McMillian, secretary of student senate and a sophomore, said the current dispute arose from a previous decision.
The initial dispute was whether the GPA requirement for student body president and the executive board, which includes student senate president, whip, secretary and treasurer, should be raised from 2.5 to 3.0, he said.
McMillian also said that they are discussing more that just the GPA being raised, but also a definition of terms.
“We are deciding if the 3.0 GPA should be cumulative through all semesters of college, or should based on the semester before,” he said.
Student Body President Jason Beers, senior, said he believes the current GPA requirement is sufficient, and that GPA does not translate into leadership or social skills.
“I don’t feel like a GPA should represent a leader,” Beers said. “I do not have a 3.0 overall and I feel like I’ve done a good job.”
McMillian said he believes student body president and the executive board of the senate should be held to a cumulative 3.0 GPA.
“If student senate is going to mimic a real administration office, we need to meet certain standards,” McMillian said. “There are certain standards that everyone must meet.”
Beers said that he feels that a GPA should not determine if someone could take on a leadership role.
“That eliminates a lot of students at Ottawa,” he said.
Beers also said many student athletes who do not have high GPAs still have an opportunity to be a leader on the athletic field, so they should have an opportunity to be a leader in the student population.
Patrick Rockers, student senate president and senior, said he spoke with previous student body presidents, who agreed that GPA should not measure a standard for leadership.
“It can be a nice starting point,” he said. “It’s not necessarily the only factor that goes into being a leader.”
McMillian said he feels it is important for leaders to hold a higher standard.
“We should be proud of the fact that our leaders hold to that standard,” he said.