The AS Student Senate during their meeting on Friday, Nov. 22. Joe Addison // AS Review
By Stella Harvey
Student Senate Regular Public Comment
At the Associated Students Student Senate meeting on April 21, LGBTQ+ Western Director L.K. Langley shared that LGBTQ+ Western has developed three weekly virtual gatherings to support LGBTQ+ students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The events currently include weekly Queer Yoga sessions, a mindful self-compassion workshop and a Queer Arts and Culture conversation series. Langley said LGBTQ+ Western is also discussing how to support LGBTQ+ students who are graduating during spring quarter.
Branding Guide Update
AS Communications Director Hunter Stuehm presented the new AS Branding Guide. The guide, which goes over the AS’s official tagline, updated logo and colors, explains the messaging and style of the AS brand. Stuehm said the guide is now more consistent with Western’s branding, so that marketing is consistent across Western’s organizations. Stuehm said he hopes that the new simplified guide will be more accessible and usable for staff throughout the AS.
The senate will vote on endorsing the new branding guide at a future meeting.
Concerns with Online Classes
Senate Pro-Tempore Adah Barenburg brought forward an email that was sent from a concerned parent about their daughter’s remote classes. The parent said that their student’s classes were being taught asynchronously, and their student isn’t able to learn directly from their professor. The senate discussed hearing similar concerns from students across campus, and decided to work on a resolution that would lay out examples of successful online instruction that individual senators have seen in their courses this quarter.
Pass or No Pass Grading Policy
The senate voted 18 in favor, two against and zero abstaining to recommend that Western make regular letter-grades the standard for summer quarter, while also offering students the option to receive a pass/no pass grade.
Barenburg explained that Steve Vanderstaay, vice provost of undergraduate education, requested the senate’s feedback on potentially extending the current campus-wide pass/no pass grading standard to include summer quarter.
At-Large Senator Sargun Handa said during the Executive Board meeting on April 22 that they voted against the recommendation because they believe that pass/no pass grading should be the default for summer quarter.
COVID-19 and the Welfare of Students letter
The senate approved a letter requesting colleges to accommodate students during the COVID-19 pandemic by granting extensions for assignments with a vote of 19 in favor, zero against and one abstaining. Senator Ranulfo Molina of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Senator Rukhsar Sadat for Fairhaven College presented the letter, which will be edited by senators to tailor to their colleges.