The main point of business for Marquette Student Government's first meeting of the year Thursday is to vote on a bill to establish a student senator for the Hilton Milwaukee City Center.

Two years ago, MUSG voted to give students staying in the Executive Inn representation in the legislative body. There were 60 freshmen staying in the hotel because of a temporary lack of campus housing, according to current MUSG President Tim Lefeber, a College of Health Sciences senior.

The Business and Government Committee, one of four MUSG standing committees of senators, will present a bill that calls for a student senator to represent approximately 30 freshman who are staying temporarily at the Hilton, said Legislative Vice President Brant McCartan, a junior in the College of Health Sciences.

The committee met Monday to finalize the exact wording of the bill, said committee chair James Tobyne, a College of Arts & Sciences sophomore.

MUSG executive board members say they think MUSG will follow the precedent set in 2002.

"It shouldn't be a problem to get passed," said Executive Vice President Emily Rostkowski, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences.

The bill is important because it guarantees students in the temporary housing are represented, McCartan said, and other MUSG members said they agreed.

"The constitution says residence halls with one or more students should have a representative," Tobyne said. "There could come a time where their voices need to be heard."

If passed, the bill will allow the elected senator to keep his position if he wants when he moves into his residence hall, according to McCartan and Rostkowski. Chris Estes, a current Hilton resident and a College of Engineering freshman, said he was considering running for senator.

Although Estes said the position would include Hilton residents in the Marquette community and inform the university about their point of view, he said he is not without apprehension.

"It might not do any good to have it," Estes said. "We might be out the next week.

"We would have to join another council that might not welcome us as much because we weren't there in the beginning and we don't know much about the other hall," he continued.

According to Estes, about half the Hilton residents moved out Saturday.

Rostkowski said MUSG realizes the residents are already moving but knows students who will not yet have university housing need to be represented.

Jared Bashirian, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, was elected as the Executive Inn senator two years ago and remained a senator throughout his freshman year when he moved into Mashuda Hall.

"I think it did help," Bashirian said. "It gave me a chance to talk to (MUSG) and let (the Executive Inn residents) know what was going on on campus since they were so removed."

MUSG will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday on the first floor conference room of Straz Tower.