Controversy has once again struck the AUSA Senate, unfortunately now the senate is being attacked for doing its job, representing all student interests.

Last Tuesday a bill went in front of the senate that if passed would have given official support to Referendum I that is being voted on in November.

For those of you who don’t know, Referendum I deals with allowing gay marriage in the state of Colorado. It did not pass in the AUSA Senate with the votes standing at seven voting for it, two opposed and six senators abstaining.

I would like to applaud the senate for doing its job on behalf of all students.

Personally, I am supportive and will vote for Referendum I in November. I think that the issue is important and speaks to the basic idea of freedom in the United States. However, I know a great many people at the University of Denver who do not support this referendum.

Their opinion should count just as much as mine. If the senate had passed this measure, the senators would not have done their jobs to represent all students and that is certainly not fair. The senate must represent the whole student body to the best of their abilities.

The senators were working without numbers. How many students are actually supporting? How many are not? How many students have not made up their mind? Or how many simply have no opinions. I have seen no polls on campus. No petitions.

Nothing have been shown that gives any indication to the thoughts of the students on this campus. Asking the student senate to vote on an issue that would represent the students without any numbers is wrong.

As for those that abstained from voting, while it might be within senate’s jurisdiction to take a stand it is not the senate’s true place to speak politically for all students on this campus. To me, an abstention simply means that the senators were unwilling to speak for all students, which should be commended.

The senate passing a bill in support of one side of a polarizing issue would be wrong. How would the QSA would have felt if the College Republicans would have asked the senate to officially not support the amendment? A vote in favor of either side is not representative of the whole student body.

Supporting either side would not respect the entirety of a diverse student body and that would be unjust.