The AS Board poses on Friday, Sept. 27. Joe Addison // AS Review
By Stella Harvey
Emily Gerhardt, VP for student services, was absent from the Associated Students Executive Board meeting on Jan. 31.
Western Intersectional Lobby Day Legislative Agenda
Kayl Gillihan, AS Student Advocacy and Identity Resource Center representation and outreach coordinator, presented a draft of the Legislative Agenda for Western Intersectional Lobby Day.
Gillihan said several of the items on the agenda were pulled directly from the Western Lobby Day agenda, including support for undocumented students, funding for ethnic studies, support for survivors of sexual assault and mental health and wellness. The Western Intersectional Lobby Day agenda also included several new items, including protection for farm workers, support for Native American students, public accessibility action and reproductive justice. Next week, the board will vote on the agenda.
Western Intersectional Lobby Day is a collaboration between the SAIRC, the Ethnic Student Center and the Environmental Sustainability Program. This year, Western Intersectional Lobby Day will take place in Olympia on Jan. 16-17. For more information, or to register for the event, check out their Facebook page.
Ramadan Accommodations
Selome Zerai, VP for activities, and Adah Barenburg, senate pro-tempore, discussed ways to make professors aware of the religious accommodations students must be provided during Ramadan. Ramadan is a holy month observed by Muslims involving prayer and fasting.
Last year, the Washington State Legislature passed a bill guaranteeing college students accommodations for religious events or activities. Zerai said because this is the first year since the bill went into effect, she wants to make sure professors know that students are legally entitled to receive accommodations if they request them. Lani Defiesta, AS president, and Grace Drechsel, VP for governmental affairs, agreed, saying that failing to accommodate students is a form of discrimination and is against the law.
Zerai and Barenburg said they are working on a campus-wide email to remind faculty and staff of the new law and how to appropriately accommodate students.