The budget for Take Back the Night, which takes place next week, costs the body nearly $2,000.
Less than two hours before election results were announced, Ohio University Student Senate passed seven resolutions, including a budget that allocated nearly $2,000 to fund in part Take Back the Night events.
Take Back the Night, a weeklong event that aims to end sexual assault and violence through education, starts April 4. The approved budget includes coverage for the cost of 100 t-shirts, food for participants and travel and accommodations for keynote speaker Stephanie Gilmore, an advocate for ending sexual violence on college campuses.
“It’s important because there are people on our campus that their voices have been silenced and Take Back the Night is a chance to share their stories and make sure we don’t stop having this conversation,” said Cassidy Paul, a women’s affairs senator.
One budget was tabled Wednesday and four others passed, including a resolution to assist in funding for Athens Beautification Day on April 17.
Another environmentally-focused resolution in support of an optional $5 Sustainability Fee for students also passed.
Kristeena Blaser, a graduate student studying environmental science, came up with the idea for the fee and gave a presentation on the topic to senate last week. Potential sustainability projects the fee would cover include a bike sharing program, composting in residence halls, a campus garden and increased availability to public transit, according to a previous Post report.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, senate passed a resolution to purchase a third white noise machine for Students Defending Students to keep the group FERPA compliant.
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“Basically they needed another machine because due to FERPA regulations they’re not allowed to have a conversation with students if they can be heard,” Jacob Haskins, residence life commissioner, said. “In their new office, the current Graduate Student Senate office, they’ll need one on each side of that door and then one outside the main office door.”
Resolutions to purchase a table at the Leadership Awards Gala, appoint Ben Ekelman as an off-campus senator and host an open forum in the Walter Rotunda during Take Back the Night also passed.
“There’s a lot of criticism of senate during this time, but we’ve gotten a lot more done than senate has in the past few years,” Gabby Bacha, senate president, said.
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