Ohio University Student Senate aims to fill empty seats, including a Budget Committee position, Wednesday.
Ohio University Student Senate aims to fill several empty seats Wednesday, including a Budget Committee position that is necessary for senate to propose or pass any internal budgets.
Budget Committee can have up to seven voting members and a committee chair, but must have at least four members who already have voting privileges in senate’s general body. After Hayley Oliver, the College of Arts and Sciences senator, resigned at last week’s meeting, the committee has just three voting members and a non-voting committee chair.
Residence Life Commissioner and Budget Committee Chair Jacob Haskins said a budget needs to be passed for an off-campus education event taking place on Oct. 5.
“Ideally we’d be passing it this week but we don’t have a budget committee to pass it,” he said.
If passed, a resolution will appoint Academic Affairs Commissioner Praelo Zandonadi to fill Oliver’s vacant seat Wednesday.
Last week, Oliver along with Casi Arnold, the LGBTQA senator, Daniel Kington, the Honors Tutorial College senator, Keelan O'Sullivan, an off-campus senator, Kim Oswald, another off-campus senator and Grant Stover, environmental affairs commissioner resigned from their senate positions.
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Four of the five proposed resolutions focus on appointing students to fill open senate seats on the Budget Committee, University Life Commission, Residence Life Commission and the Governmental Affairs Commission.
Senate’s off-campus Life Commission, which lost two members last week, is also working to fill its empty positions.
“Having five people represent off-campus students, I don’t think that’s an accurate representation,” Saira Brown, off-campus life commissioner, said. “I’d like to filll those two seats as soon as possible."
The fifth resolution aims to form the Committee on Leadership Development, which is required by senate’s Rules and Procedures document. If passed, senate members Nicole Kromalic, Kentisha Dinham, Praelo Zandonadi, Emily Klein, Tyler Daniels and Garret Conner will staff the committee.
In addition, senate members are participating in Better Bystander training Wednesday immediately before the general body meeting.
“We’re trying to have in-services twice a semester that cover a bigger campus issue,” Gabby Bacha, senate president, said. “As student leaders, this is something we should know.”
Senate will also discuss forming a standing committee on the issue of campus sexual assault Wednesday.
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