After the student body received an email from the Ohio University Police Department concerning the number of sexual assault reports this semester, Student Senate voted to form a special committee on sexual assault prevention.
Ohio University Student Senate voted to establish a special committee on sexual assault prevention Wednesday night after the OU Police Department sent an email to the student body about the nine reports of sexual assault this semester.
The new committee is chaired by Jessica Arnold, the women’s affairs commissioner, and will require each commission to select one representative to serve on the committee.
“Many who are not primary survivors, can identify as secondary survivors, or at the very least have witnessed behavior that contributes to a culture in which sexually violent actions and dialogue are accepted and even normalized,” Arnold said. “The committee will be established in an effort to promote a discourse on campus that is not limited to the the educators, advocates, and activists who have been active in the confrontation of these issues.”
The body also discussed adding another College of Arts and Sciences senator position — giving the college two seats — as the college is OU’s largest academic college.
Academic Affairs Commissioner Praelo Zandonadi proposed having one representative from the bachelor of arts program and one from the bachelor of science program work together to serve the college because the range of majors within Arts and Sciences is so varied.
“As HTC senator I have people from 23, 24, 25 different majors that I’m representing. If people aren’t feeling represented it’s because they don’t have easy access to their senator rather than the fact that their senator is doing a very different major than them,” Jack Davies, Honors Tutorial College senator said. “I’m the only philosophy major in HTC. Going by that sort of criteria then I’m representing nobody."
The Art and Sciences position was vacated two weeks ago when five senators and a commissioner resigned from senate.
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Reforming senate elections, which happen in the spring, was another item of discussion.
Members talked about extending the campaign period, which was shortened to two weeks during reforms made last year.
“I feel when you have two weeks to put yourself on a platform and say what you’re about it’s very stressful,” Sasha Estrella-Jones, senate’s minority affairs commissioner said. “At the end of the day we’re still students and I feel we need to better support the students who are running as far as like their stress levels and making sure they’re still saying sane while they’re running.”
Additionally, Culinary Services presented on their upcoming projects and recently finished renovations, such as West Green Market District.
The Hungry Cat Food Truck, which offered free samples in the Walter Hall parking lot before senate’s meeting, will be available in new locations near Clippinger Hall and at the top of Morton Hill this fall. It will also aim to offer healthier food options according to the presentation.
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