Senate approves new safety motion and confirmation, amendment to Union Constitution

The Student Senate has approved a new motion involving campus-wide safety. The motion is a general statement to the administration in support of changes being made, but does not concern any specific issues. Instead, it is meant to show student support towards the actions that it would be beneficial for administration to take in the future. Possibilities of student outreach and even creation of a map where students have felt the most unsafe were also discussed. After a brief discussion, the motion was approved 15-0-2.

For the final motion of the night, Graduate President Alexander Lutsevich ’G approached the Senate on behalf of the graduate council. Lutsevich wanted to amend the Union Constitution to give the Graduate Council more recognition for the work that they do. He explained that it is difficult as a representative to receive attention from the administration because the graduate students are a minority compared to the undergraduate students. However, there were many concerns with this motion. Grand Marshal Ben Viner ’24, among other members of the Senate, expressed concern due to the fact that the language of the amendment implied that the Grand Marshal would no longer be representing the graduate students, creating a divide between Graduate and Undergraduate students. After extensive discussion, the motion was tabled to next week.

In addition to these motions, the Senate has also approved Toby McDonald ’26 as a new Club and Organization Representative on the Union’s Executive Board. After brief discussion, McDonald’s appointment was approved unanimously.

This Student Senate meeting was held on February 5. Senate meetings are held weekly on Mondays at 8 pm in the Shelnutt Gallery.