Another possible solution is a compromise. Freshmen that currently spend their entire first year performing menial tasks would now only do this for the first semester. The advantage of this plan is that the freshman class would receive representation in the second semester. Moreover, they would receive that representation from members with a full semester's worth of experience. The student government would function better for the input of the freshmen, and this alternative would avoid having raw rookies in student government. The downside to this alternative is that it still perpetuates the notion of the freshman subclass. Moreover, the first semester would still see the status quo and there could be exploitation of freshmen during this semester that would otherwise go unaddressed.

The best recommendation for solving this problem would be the second option. The student government tackles important issues,...

However, many members of this government will have had experience in their high school. This should flatten the learning curve for freshmen, such that no more than a month or two of training should suffice.
This solution would also allow for the freshmen to have governmental representation. Knowing that the current freshmen class will be able to participate in government in the second semester will keep the class from being exploited, and the class will have a voice in issues that promise to affect them for the coming four years. This recommendation strikes a balance between the traditional culture and the functional arguments for its maintenance and the resolution of an ongoing problem with the function of the student government.