Student Government Association collected an estimated 400 signatures for its petition this week, president Jayson Manship said.
The petition requests another student representative on the presidential search committee. The deadline for signatures is 5 p.m. today. SGA's goal is to gather as many names as possible for the committee, Manship said.
Vice president Ben Tietz e-mailed the petition to senators and campus organizations Thursday.
"We got a pretty good number of signatures for only having a week," freshman senator Jessica Polley said.
Senators said students were happy to sign, after hearing they only had one representative. Freshman senator Kevin Kay said many of the students he talked to were clueless about the presidential search.
"They had no idea that we didn't have a president," Kay said. "It gave us another opportunity to talk about the whole president thing."
Freshman senator Zeke Wilson said students definitely want another representative on the committee. Wilson said he suggested outlets, such as attending meetings and writing to the newspaper, for students to use.
"They're saying, 'This is how we feel, now why can't we get our questions answered?'" Wilson said.
Senator Chris Hager said his roommate, sophomore Sean Northup, was the only person who gave him feedback on the issue. Northup was skeptical of the effects two students would have, Hager said.
"He said, 'Instead of having one student representing 20,000, you're going to have two students representing 10,000?'" Hager said. "He asked what kind of difference that was going to make."
SGA relies on student representative Sarah Atkinson to relay information from the committee. Wilson said Atkinson seems assertive enough to be heard, but Kay said having another representative would make the committee fair.
"Students didn't like the idea of having however many adults are on the board, making the decision for them," Kay said.
As for the committee's reaction, senators said they didn't know what to expect.
"They could throw it in the trash, or they could actually listen to us," Polley said. "Since I don't have any contact with them, I have no idea what to expect."
Polley said if the committee ignores the petition, she doesn't expect SGA to sponsor a rally.
"I wouldn't want the SGA name on something that flops," Polley said. "With people's schedules being so hectic, getting enough attendance can be a problem."
Wilson said his support of a rally depends on his residence hall's opinion. However, Wilson said he personally thinks it's a good idea.
"Speaking as a student and not as a representative, I support having a rally," Wilson said. "To get the truth out there; not to start any problems."
Wilson said students should remain informed, because the new president will affect everyone.
"It's important to pay attention to what's going on," Wilson said. "It's as much my president as it is the student's and the faculty's."
Atkinson will take the petitions to the search committee's meeting today at the Student Center.
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