Students will get the final word in the experience requirement debate, though it took Vanderbilt Student Government house members two votes and more than an hour to give it to them.

The student body will vote Feb. 19 to approve the elimination of the requirement after a two-thirds majority of the house voted in favor of a resolution that would allow any undergraduate to lead the organization.

The VSG senate unanimously approved the resolution, proposed by senators Fabiani Duarte and Wyatt Smith last week.

The experience requirement states that the student body president must have served one year in VSG and must have served during the semester of his or her election for at least 30 days before declaring his or her candidacy.

Students will vote only on whether they would like to do away with the one-year provision since the house vote immediately eliminated the 30-day requirement.

The hour-long debate included disagreements over whether to delay the conversation, a discussion of proper presidential qualities and expressions of concern for the organization.

Tower II President Kyle Larson called the discussion "hasty," adding, "We're just throwing the question out there without discussing it outside the house and senate among ourselves."

But Chief of Staff Joseph Williams called the debate "absurd" and drew applause when he said, "For us to sit here in this room, in the world of student government and to pretend that no other students on this campus care, sends an arrogant message."

Some house members felt it would take more than good intentions to run for president, though.

"You may have a vision, but you need to be able to implement it," Larson said. "A president needs a relationship with senators and house presidents to get their vision on the table, discussed and acted upon."

But Duarte said many peer institutions, such as Cornell University, Duke University and Washington University in St. Louis, do not have experience requirements, and Jessica Cohen, a transfer student and West Hall representative, said inexperienced tickets were useful at her former university.

"You'll get a lot more interest in the election in general, and in the end, the students will make the right choice," she said.

Some house members still worried students would take advantage of relaxed requirements to boost their resumes or gain attention.

But Smith disagreed.

"These aren't middle school elections; this is college student government," he said. "People who are wanting to run are people who want to change this university."

— Glenna DeRoy can be reached at glenna.h.deroy@vanderbilt.edu