Ohio University Student Senate will hear a resolution Wednesday night to change the grammar and language of its Rules and Procedures to make the document more inclusive.
Student Senate’s Rules and Procedures may become more gender neutral if a resolution is passed at Wednesday’s general body meeting to amend the document’s language and grammar.
The resolution comes from The Committee on Rules and Procedures, which is responsible for ensuring senate’s constitution and Rules and Procedures are linguistically accurate, grammatically correct and inclusive, according to the resolution.
“I think it’s long overdue, actually,” Abby Fairbanks, senate’s chief of staff, said. “It’s important for the senate Rules and Procedures to be gender neutral so that students know it is a more inclusive body. We represent the entire student body as a whole, so it just makes sense to move in that direction.”
Senate also will hear a resolution Wednesday to create a new staff position.
If this proposal passes, a historian will be appointed by executive officers to organize records of senate proceedings, including meeting minutes, press articles and resolutions.
“As far as records go, right now they aren’t as organized as we’d like them to be,” Matthew Thomas, LGBTQA intern and deputy parliamentarian, said. “There hasn’t been a set position in charge of records in general. It’s been the job of the committee or commission to keep their own records. It’s really important to centralize this role.”
Finals Fest, a program that offers snacks and blue books to students preparing for final exams, will be allotted about $870 of the money remaining in senate’s budget to purchase nachos, delicatessen and blue books if the budget is approved Wednesday. Finals Fest takes place in Baker Center on the Sunday before finals week.
“It’s just a good way for students to kind of relax before finals,” Nicole Dailey, intern director and Women’s Affairs vice commissioner, said. “It’s a really nice programming opportunity. We pass out blue books, give away free food, those different types of things, and we do have money left in our budget, so why not?”
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Additionally, senate will hear a resolution to appoint members to the Senator Emeritus Committee, which will be responsible for reviewing recipients.
If the resolution passes, the committee will be chaired by Jacob Haskins and composed of Zachary Woods, Hashim Pashtun, Mary Kate Gallagher, Pablo Beierle, Jordan Kelley, William Kolenky and Evan Vargo.
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