Vis Lupi Est Grex

Tonight the 77th Session of the Senate of the Associated Students will convene. After being called to order by the Secretary of the Senate and establishing a quorum, the Senate will proceed to the single most important thing they will do all year: choose a Speaker.

To be chosen to be the leader of the pack by what is already an exclusive group of 22 senators is a great honor. But with great rewards comes great responsibilities. This post will explore exactly what it means to be the leader of the Senate. It is much more than a beauty contest, and the Senators-elect should treat it with the seriousness and give it the attention it deserves. The Speakership does not come with a tiara. It comes with a gavel.

The Constitution of the Associated Students tells us only that "The Senate shall choose its Speaker and other officers" (Art. II, sec. 1(e)). The Rules of the Senate provide much more detail about the official role the Speaker plays. In short, list form, the specific duties of the Speaker, under the Rules, are as follows:

• Administers oaths of office to Senators (Rule II(a))
• Receives letters of resignation from senators
• Causes vacant seats to be announced to the ASUN membership and accepts petitions to fill vacancies
• Has the control over the Senate Chamber while the Senate is sitting (Rule VII)
• Has an obligation to vote when her vote is decisive
• Has power to appoint select committees (Rule XI)
• Receive petitions to discharge measures from committees (Rule XII(c))
• Determine whether measures should be placed on the consent agenda (Rule XII(f))
• Sign Senate documents, decide questions of order, and put questions to a vote (Rule XIX(a))
• Appoints Speakers pro temore (Rule XIX(b))
• Appoints a Parliamentarian to advise the Speaker (Rule XIX(c))
• Supervises the Secretary of the Senate and may dismiss one for failure to discharge duties (Rule XIX(e)(5)

Some of ASUN's statutory law provide additional duties of the Speaker, as follows (references are to ASUN Public Laws):

• Send a certificate to the Election Commission on Senate apportionment when the Secretary is unable (75-28)
• Succeed to the presidency when the Vice President is unable (75-38)
• Receive resignations from the presidency and vice presidency (75-38)
• Must comply with the provisions of the Nevada Open Meeting Law (75-51)
  
• Has signing authority over the accounts of the Senate (75-52)

That covers the institutionalized, codified duties of the Speaker. But as any Speaker will tell you, it is much more than that. A good speaker must be a leader, an administrator, a bureaucrat, a confidant, an adviser, and so much more.

Outside of the official duties, a speaker must:

• Provide direction to the Senate, its committees and its members
• Be the public face of the Senate
• Stay apprised of the activities of the committees and senators
• Prepare the agenda for each meeting, work closely with the Secretary to be sure documents are in order, etc.
• Schedule guest speakers for the Senate
• Put senators into touch with relevant campus officials
• Search out information for senators and committees
• Stay in constant communication with senators, committee chairs, the Secretary, the executive branch, and other ASUN officials and staff
• Provide support to the Senate
• Make sure work is getting done behind the scenes

As should be readily apparent, being the Speaker means being selected for a job with incredible responsibility. The level of compensation for the Speaker reflects that fact. The Speaker makes $7,000 per year, putting her in the second tier of compensation of ASUN officials second only to the President. It is not uncommon for a good speaker to put in more than 20 hours per week to stay on top of everything and to exectute her office well.

Being a good speaker requires the right temperament for the job, too. An emotional person lacking in confidence will make a terrible speaker. So too will a person who will not seek out help. The Speakership is an incredibly complex job. The last speaker, Priscilla Acosta, demonstrated basically all of the qualities of a bad speaker. She didn't spend the requisite time on being speaker, she didn't take it seriously, she refused assistance, she did not have the respect of the Senate, and her errors put the Senate's business in legal trouble, not to mention making the 76th Session the biggest embarrassment in the Senate since--well, just since.

Being the Speaker isn't just a line item on the resume or a cool thing; it requires actual, hard work. The Senators-elect need to be ready tonight to ask tough questions of the nominees for the office. In just two back-to-back sessions, the students have seen what an outstanding speaker and session (75th) produces and what a shitfest (76th) leads to.

Tonight the Senators-elect need to focus on both the mechanics of the job (rules, parliamentary procedure, bureaucracy) but also the personal qualities they want in a speaker (confident, strong, principled--a leader). The friendliest person might not make the best Speaker (witness Priscilla "Hugs" Acosta). Sometimes the Speaker has to be a bad guy to make sure things get done, and get done right. Don't let appearances fool you. Ask pointed questions to get to the heart of the matter. Be prudent. And don't be afraid of upsetting somebody. If they're truly worthy of being Speaker and a Senator, they'll get over it.