A suggested new form of student government has been called elitist by some and a worthwhile change by others as a draft of it circulates through the SIUC community.

The possible College Student Advisory Board would combine the Undergraduate Student Government and the Graduate and Professional Student Council and eliminate springtime elections. Student leaders would instead be selected by college administrators.

Nate Brown, a former USG president who now works for Chancellor Walter Wendler, pitched the new student government structure to University leaders two weeks ago. He said he has not yet spoken to USG or GPSC leaders, but has gotten feedback from others.

"One of the biggest concerns of people I've heard so far is this being elitist," Brown said.

Brown drafted suggestions for a new entity on the request of Wendler, who said last week the current structure of student government is faulty.

Brown said a formal proposal has not been composed, and won't be until after extensive talks with students and SIU employees.

"We don't know how all this is going to turn out or how it's going to work," Brown said. "How do you go about this? There's no right way or wrong way."

USG, which represents undergraduate students and allocates student activity fee money to registered student organizations, came under fire in April and May when it failed to distribute money for nearly three weeks.

The rocky allocations and the student response prompted the push for a new body, Wendler said.

GPSC Vice President Ed Ford said students should be the ones to decide who represents them instead of SIU faculty and staff.

"The University obviously has their own perspective of how they would like things to happen. When things aren't happening exactly the way they want, they're going to try to get their perspective into play," Ford said, adding the new body is a strange concept.

Wendler said low voter turnout for student government elections is indicative of students' lack of faith in the groups meant to represent them.

A total of 1,226 students voted in the April 21 elections to selected new USG leaders and a new student appointee to the SIU Board of Trustees.

Shanta Richardson, a sophomore from Chicago studying business management, said she voted only because one of her friends was on the ballot.

"We just don't have the participation as it is," Brown said.

Combining graduate and undergraduate students into one governing entity would create a healthy perspective and better represent the student body, said Craig Woodson, a junior from Princeton, Ind., studying philosophy.

"I think it's clear, just look in the paper and listen to what people say, it is time for something new," Woodson said.

University officials are also considering creating a committee charged with allocating student activity fee money to student groups, stripping that responsibility from USG. The committee would have students and SIU employees discussing money distribution.

In May, vice chancellor for student affairs Larry Dietz froze the money allocated by USG while SIU President Glenn Poshard's staff could audit the process.

USG Vice President Paul Ogwal said the move hurt student groups, who were denied access to money until June 25. Ford said the student government and the allocation board went hand in hand.

"The concept is more or less the same thing, but they have so far been proposed independently," Ford said.