Ohio University Student Senate passed three resolutions and tabled one at the body’s meeting Wednesday night.
Resolutions to pay for office supplies, to suspend the rules and procedures for Spring Semester 2017 and to appoint delegates to the Black Affairs Commission all passed with little to no opposition.
Brianna McElrath and Cre’Shaun Cole were appointed to the Black Affairs Commission.
“This semester, I’ve been working on getting my commission together,” Black Affairs Commissioner Keyarah Newton, the primary sponsor of the bill, said. “They’ve been expressing interest about Senate throughout the semester and waited patiently.”
The resolution to suspend the rules and procedures for Spring Semester 2017 was an effort to postpone Senate elections to after spring break. Originally, spring break would have occurred in the middle of elections.
“We didn’t want that to happen, so we discussed a few options,” Clerk of Court Matthew Thomas said. “People will forget what’s going on during spring break and won’t check Senate social media.”
The resolution to fund 'Finals Fest' was tabled indefinitely. If passed, the budget would have cost $909.98 and paid for a list of items including pencils and pens, coloring books and catering in Baker Center.
Student Senate President Hannah Clouser said Budget Planning Council, which she is a part of, will meet Friday to vote on increases in tuition at OU. The Board of Trustees then has to approve all tuition increases before they are final.
The proposed increase for in-state students who are not part of the OHIO Guarantee would be 2 percent. Students in the incoming class of 2021, the next OHIO Guarantee cohort, could see an increase of 3.3 percent. Current students on the OHIO Guarantee would not see their tuition increased.
The tuition increase is partly needed to cover a $5.6 million loss of state funding.
“Revenues come from state and tuition,” Clouser said. “It’s not right to place the burden on students, so that’s why we’re lobbying at the statehouse and with other universities.”
Senate Vice President Courteney Muhl said the Task Force for Diversity and Inclusion will meet for the second time on Friday. The most recent report from the committee is that they are meeting with diversity student groups.
Additionally, Clouser, along with SAC Commissioner Ellenore Holbrook and Graduate Assistant Jivanto van Hemert, met with Diversity and Inclusion in an effort to ultimately decide what kind of diversity training will be implemented at the university.
One option involved a potential SAC funding grant given to organizations that participate in diversity training. Clouser plans to meet with Shari Clarke, the vice provost for Diversity and Inclusion, to discuss resources needed for that.
Minority Affairs Commissioner Sara Izquierdo plans to start a social media campaign next semester on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr to enhance cultural sensitivity on campus.
Part of the campaign would feature a blog created through Tumblr that minority groups could use to address their concerns about hate speech or any injustice they witness on campus. It would also teach students how to avoid behaviors that contribute to the creation of “otherness.”
“Students on campus would know what they can and cannot do,” Izquierdo said. “They could understand that fighting for what is right is always worth it.”
