The latest piece of legislation was a recommendation passed Thursday that suggests class abstracts be posted online before the commencement of registration.,”

The Marquette Student Government unanimously voted to pass its second piece of legislation in two weeks and its sixth recommendation since the start of the academic year.

The latest piece of legislation was a recommendation passed Thursday that suggests class abstracts be posted online before the commencement of registration. This comes on the heels of College of Arts & Sciences sophomore Kathleen Miskovsky being unanimously approved as parliamentarian.

According to MUSG College of Arts & Sciences senator and MUSG presidential candidate Sara Stellpflug, putting class abstracts online should not be a problem because most departments have printed class abstracts available in their department office. The abstracts lay out the general topics that will be covered in each course.

"Putting the class abstracts online will make them more accessible," said Brock Banks, MUSG legislative vice president and MUSG presidential candidate. "This is an era of instant access via the Internet, and it is a good idea for Marquette to more aptly serve the students through this avenue."

The motivation behind the class abstract recommendation is the "all too often" lack of information for students registering for classes, according to College of Arts & Sciences senator and sophomore Jason Rae.

"The Undergraduate Bulletin only contains a one-line description, so we are hoping that students will be able to now get a better description of courses," Rae said. "I hope that this helps students to also find the learning environment in which they are most productive."

For Banks, a College of Arts & Sciences junior, the recommendation marks the 14th piece of legislation passed in his term as MUSG legislative vice president. That is three more pieces of legislation than the total amount passed in the 2005-'06 academic year.

"The senate has done a much better job of addressing concerns of the student body through legislation this year," Banks said.

Since the onset of the academic year, MUSG has used legislation to address concerns about student representation with the administration, residence hall issues, academic advising and several other academic concerns.

According to Rae, the recent increase in legislation is "a good thing," and legislation is MUSG's "role to take on the issues and present solutions."

The senate has spent a "great deal of time reviewing many issues and trying to come up with the best possible solutions that we feel will have a positive impact on students and the university," Rae said.

"I think the reason why you suddenly see more legislation being passed is because, after spending time earlier this year researching, we are now coming to the stage of the process where the bills need to be written," he said.

However, according to Banks, a government should not be judged only by the amount of legislation it produces.

"It is unfair to judge the activity of MUSG solely by the legislation it passes," Banks said. "Senators are continually working on campus issues, some of which do not require legislation."

According to Banks, senators are currently working on projects such as improving the quality of service at George Webb Restaurant and providing information on the types of food and services students want from the new Open Pantry, both of which do not require legislation.

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