New amendment added to GM Week ballot, road safety project discussed

Editor's Note: This article was meant to be published on February 7, 2024.

The Student Senate added a new amendment to the Union Constitution and the Grand Marshal Week ballot, which would change instances of gendered language to gender neutral terms. Examples given included changing “he” or “she” to “they” and “chairman” to “chairperson.” After discussion, the motion was edited to allow changes to the grammar of the constitution as needed. The motion to add the amendment to the ballot passed 15-0-1, meaning that the student body will be able to vote on the amendment during GM Week, which begins March 18.

Also, Grand Marshal Ben Viner ’24 introduced a potential future project addressing pedestrian safety on campus. This is in response to the accident reported on January 26 in which an RPI student was struck by a vehicle while crossing Burdett Avenue, as well as a similar incident last year on the same street in which a student passed away. Edward Piontek ’26 mentioned that the Senate had asked for input from both student drivers and pedestrians on campus on both problems and potential solutions. Director of the Union Dr. Charlie Potts recommended that the Student Senate should put forward a motion to support an infrastructural organization to make necessary changes. In the meantime, he advised that the Senate should focus their efforts on reaching out to the student body for feedback, working with the administration, and working together to prioritize a more road-safe environment.

This Senate meeting was held on January 29. The Senate meets every Monday at 8pm in the Shelnutt Gallery.