AS Student Senate update graphic PJ Heusted // AS Review
By PJ Heusted
The Associated Students Student Senate met on Thursday, Nov. 19 for their first meeting of the 2020-21 academic year.
Western Lobby Day
VP for Governmental Affairs Nicole Ballard acted as a guest speaker to share information about Western’s various lobbying efforts that take place throughout the year. Ballard explained what those efforts look like, what work goes into making them possible and ways that the Senate can be involved.
There are currently plans for Western Lobby Day to take place in Jan., Western Intersectional Lobby Day in Feb. and Local Lobby Day in April or May. Ballard shared that student leaders hope to add a Graduate Student Lobby Day and Administration Lobby Day to the list this year as well.
Ballard outlined the way that the lobbying agenda is created and developed, discussed the current list of priorities as created through student surveys and shared a number of resources for senators who may be curious about previous lobbying efforts.
The full presentation can be found as document one for the Nov. 19 meeting here.
2020-21 Shred the Contract Resolution
Laura Wagner and Francis Neff, senators for Huxley College of the Environment, presented a resolution that reaffirmed a resolution from last year’s senators with updated language regarding Western’s extension of the contract with Aramark.
The senate voted unanimously to move the resolution to an electronic vote on Monday, Nov. 23 to determine whether or not the resolution would be passed.
Board of Trustees Resolution
Senate Pro-tempore Sargun Handa presented a resolution that was originally brought to the AS Executive Board regarding student representation at Western’s Board of Trustee meetings.
Handa wrote the resolution after being declined a recurring invite to the meetings which she feels contradicts documents that the Board of Trustees have supported that view the AS Executive Board and AS Student Senate as equal bodies of student government.
The senate voted unanimously to move to the resolution to an electronic vote on Monday, Nov. 23.