The ASWSU Senate welcomed State Representative and Pullman resident Susan Fagan, and Planning Director for the City of Pullman Pete Dickinson Wednesday to its weekly meeting.

Fagan, who has served in the state legislature since 2010, represents the 9th Legislative District alongside Rep. Joe Schmick and Sen. Mark Schoesler, who visited the ASWSU Senate in September.

The 9th Legislative District includes all of Adams, Asotin, Franklin, Garfield and Whitman counties, as well as parts of Spokane County.

Fagan said that her main reason for meeting with the student senators was not to reiterate what Sen. Schoesler told them last month, noting that any of it is subject to change based on the results of the Nov. 4 ballot. Instead, she wanted to hear from them and answer any questions they had.

Sen. Emily Strode asked Fagan about her feelings on Initiative 1351, an initiative on the Nov. 4 ballot that would require K-12 classes to have no more than 15-25 students.

Fagan feels that the initiative will pass, despite voting against it herself.

“Everyone wants their kid in a small class size, they may just not think of some of the consequences,” she said. “Smaller class sizes means more sections for the same course, which means hiring many more teachers and building more classrooms. It is a wonderful idea, but if the funding isn’t there it will only be a distraction from other important issues facing the state.”

ASWSU Vice President LaKecia Farmer said she was thankful to have Fagan speak with the Senate.

“Representative Fagan and Senator Schoesler are the best representatives that WSU students have in the state government right now,” Farmer said. “It is always a pleasure to hear what they have to share, whether it is about higher education or not.”

After Fagan left, Dickinson asked the senators for their feedback on the city’s idea for a new comprehensive plan to better the community.

Instead of giving a presentation about the plan, Dickinson had the senators do a number of activities that answered how they feel about the living condition of Pullman, and what they feel will benefit the city in the future.

The plan, which has not been edited since 1999, breaks down any accommodating changes necessary to improve the quality of life in Pullman — including retail shopping, housing, and more reliable transportation — for the next 50 years, according to Dickinson.

“It is unusual for cities this size to have a plan that is this far reaching, but we wanted to be prepared for anything,” he said.

Dickinson says that the plan is currently in the revision process, which will last for two years before being implemented for the next 50.