With election campaigns beginning next week, the Student Senate will soon complete its current session. With that in mind, senators and Senate leaders reflected on the year’s productivity.

Zach Adams, Student Senate president, said he thinks Student Senate deserves an A-plus for performance throughout the year.

He used the Wednesday night meeting as an example of the Student Senate’s efficiency this session.

Adams, a senior in industrial engineering, said Senate was able to pass bills affecting the student body in various ways, including bills supporting an energy initiative act, preventing students from paying for audit classes, ensuring fair readmission following withdrawal, privacy of student records and support for the expansion of the freshman repeat policy.

“It’s these issues that we fight for every week that students rarely hear about,” he said. “Behind closed doors Student Government is at times effective at advocacy.”

According to John Mickey, a senator for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, although Student Government has accomplished some things such as increasing the cup size in dining halls, he thinks Student Senate has a limited ability to do important things without the help of the administration.

“Things have been done,” Mickey, a sophomore in political science, said.”[But] I would say Student Senate is a relatively ineffective body.”

Scott Lassiter, a senator for at-large first years, said he would award the Senate a B for productivity thus far.

“The only thing keeping it from being an A would be some of its members [who] get too caught up in unimportant internal business,” Lassiter, a freshman in political science, said.

Adam Compton, student body treasurer, said he would probably give the Student Senate a C. He said the current Senate is extremely young compared with the older members who guided the Senate last year.

“The Senate has definitely hit some big issues on campus,” he said. “But I think there’s a lot more they could have done in terms of pushing for issues.”

During election season last year, in a previous Technician story, Adams said he wanted to ensure Student Senate would not “waste time on issues that do not concern students.”

According to Lassiter, he realizes the “style of debating” that senators used during Senate meetings can sometimes squander time. However, he said he doesn’t see another way to conduct the meetings.

“I really don’t see any other way to do it [and] ensure everybody’s voice gets heard,” he said.

According to Adams, the Wednesday night meeting is the ideal example of commitment to student issues. He said the Student Senate passed a bill guaranteeing competitive student elections.

“I feel the Senate has definitely turned more toward student issues,” he said.

In the same election article in a previous Technician, Adams said he also hoped to bridge the gap between the executive branch and Student Senate.

Adams said he thinks the Student Senate has shown many instances this year where it has communicated well with the executive branch. He said the Senate and executive branch are organizing efforts to support the renovation of Hillsborough Street.

Lassiter echoed Adams’ sentiment.

According to Lassiter, the Senate receives reports from the executive branch.

“I don’t see how you could really work any closer, actually,” Lassiter said.

Mickey said he hasn’t witnessed much Senate interaction with the executive branch.