The AS Review logo.
By PJ Heusted
The Associated Students Executive Board met on Friday, Nov. 6 for their seventh meeting of the 2020-21 academic year.
Black Student Organizations’ Demands
AS President Abdul Malik Ford presented information from a Residence Life presentation that he, VP for Student Services Carson Brock and VP for Diversity Ranulfo Molina attended. Ford shared that there are plans being developed to create an affinity housing space for Black students using a similar model to the gender inclusive housing space that already exists.
VP for Governmental Affairs Nicole Ballard shared updates from a meeting regarding the development of an ethnic studies department at Western. According to the update, there is discussion of a few possible options but that there has been conversation about expanding the american cultural studies program to include an ethnic studies major. There is still work being done to get the funding to allow for any of the possible options to be developed and implemented.
Transportation Advisory Committee Charge and Charter
Brock presented a series of updates to the TAC charge and charter including an updated list of members, updates to member titles and specifications in the language used to describe the purpose of the TAC.
The updates to the charge and charter were passed with four votes in favor and three Board members abstaining. Brock, Molina, and VP for Sustainability Nora Harren abstained from voting given their involvement on the committee.
Alternative Transportation Fund Committee Charge and Charter
Brock presented the charge and charter for the ATF committee asking for advice regarding which Board members should serve on the committee and which of the participating members should serve as Chair. The Board decided that the VP for sustainability, Harren, should serve as chair with the VP for student services and VP for governmental affairs, Brock and Ballard, serving as voting members.
Senate Pro-tempore Sargun Handa asked about the possibility of increasing the number of at-large students involved on the committee given that there was only space for one in the current document.
Brock formally proposed an amendment to add a second at-large student to the committee.
The updates to the charge and charter, including Brock’s amendment, passed with five votes in favor and two Board members abstaining. Ballard and Harren abstained due to their involvement on the committee.
Western Board of Trustees Resolution
Handa presented regarding her resolution requesting that the Board of Trustees and Western President Sabah Randhawa acknowledge that the AS Executive Board and AS Student Senate are equal groups of power on campus.
This resolution continues the work being done by Handa to ensure that administration recognizes both branches of student government and engages with them equally.
Handa asked other members of the Board to read through the current draft of the document that she created and bring any questions or comments about it to her before moving forward.