In a move that may be the first of several reforms at the Institute of Politics (IOP), the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) voted Sunday to gradually reduce its membership within the next three years.

The 27 members of SAC, which is the student governing body of the IOP, voted overwhelmingly in favor of reducing the number of members from a range of 25-30 to a range of 15-20, according to SAC chair Byron J. McLain '00.

Trevor D. Dryer '00-'02, who authored the proposal, said it is aimed at giving more responsibility to associates of the IOP. Associates do not hold voting privileges like SAC members.

"The idea of making SAC smaller is to give associates a greater chance to work on special projects that are now taken by SAC members and to give them a greater say in what goes on at the IOP," Dryer said.

McLain said a smaller SAC would de-emphasize the importance of being on the committee.

SAC Vice-Chair Curtis J. Mahoney '00 agreed, saying that reduced membership would make the IOP a more open environment for associates.

"It seems counter-intuitive that to open ourselves up we have to get smaller, but practically, when you have so much responsibility concentrated in the higher ranks, it turns people away," Mahoney said.

SAC member Joseph N. Sanberg '01 said the proposal "sends the message that you can be active and take on leadership roles without being on SAC."