In an eventful Marquette Student Government meeting this past Thursday, three new members were named to committees and a proposed amendment to the MUSG constitution mandating service hours for academic and residential senators was rejected.

The amendment, authored by Drew Halunen, John Heflin and Sara Magrath, proposed that senators each be required to record five hours of community service each semester while in MUSG.

Heflin, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said the purpose of the amendment was each senator “explicitly committing (him or her) self to service.”

McCormick Freshman Senator Brenna Gonderman was among those who questioned whether it was necessary to require service, as many in MUSG are already involved in various service opportunities around campus.

Gonderman, who is in the College of Arts & Sciences, asked each senator if they already participated in community service without the mandate. When the question went around the table, it was unanimous that each person either already was involved in service or planned on becoming involved before the amendment.

President Pro Tempore Curtis Taylor proposed an amendment to the amendment, calling for each senator to be required to participate five hours in a service event sponsored by MUSG. This was also rejected, though the idea was one that amendment’s author Drew Halunen was not against for future consideration.

Halunen, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, said the amendment would “show (they) care” and help MUSG become more actively involved around campus. He also said this amendment would have been a test run before moving into having MUSG service projects, where, for example, MUSG would come together on a weekend and volunteer at a homeless shelter.

Taylor, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration, said the amendment was “too vague” and that “the honor system is not effective (for recording the hours).”

“While I support the idea, it would be more effective to do events,” he said.

The amendment, which needed 19 votes to pass, received 10 in favor and 13 against. Halunen said he will be looking into addressing these concerns because all members are in favor of service in some way.