Student Senate’s 102nd session comes to a close

Executive officers and student senators of the 102nd session of Student Senate met for their final meeting before handing things over to the members of the 103rd session on March 22. 

The senators continued passing legislation through the final minutes of the session while celebrating sine die, business proceedings that are adjourned with no plan to resume and each other’s hard work. 

“One of the things that [Student Senate President Miles Calzini] and I have done over the past year is develop a lot of good relationships that you all have hopefully seen and experienced the benefits of,” said McKenzy Heavlin, a graduate student in electrical engineering, in his final report as student body president.

The meeting followed a contested spring election resulting in a runoff between the Reid/Markert and Kudlak/Vuncannon campaigns before Reid/Markert's eventual win.

Maria Echeverry Montano, chair of the board of elections and third-year studying political science, gave a report on the voting turnout this election cycle.

Montano reported that 9.7% of students voted in the initial election with the College of Engineering being the only college to turn in over 1,000 votes. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences had the highest voter percentage of any college with 11.8% of students participating.

During the meeting, Heavlin delivered vetoes for bills GB 98 - Ceremonies Council Act which would streamline the yearly banquet with the induction of the next session’s officers and GB 99 - Treasury Branch Policies Update Act which would codify Treasury Operating Procedures to protect processes related to the treasury branch, citing concerns that both pieces of legislation could be abused down the line.

“Essentially [GB 98] is protecting banquets and ceremonies in the future from being weaponized by a future student body officer,” Heavlin said. “If this were to pass and a student body treasurer had a personal vendetta, they could hold the banquet hostage.” 

The final pieces of legislation for the 102nd session were read. 

R 106 - Naloxone and Basic First Aid Training Act was debated. The bill is fashioned after a similar initiative taken by Appalachian State University in which resident advisors carry Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, on their person in the case of a narcotics overdose. The drug reverses the effects of an opioid overdose temporarily until further medical care can be provided.

Resident advisors are trained specifically to not administer first aid for liability reasons. Naila Din, a first-year studying engineering and the corresponding senator of the bill, said she suggests that the University allow resident advisors to administer Naloxone if they deem it necessary.

Concerns of the student senators were not surrounding the nature of the drug itself but rather the legality and practicality of such a bill. Din said the bill is meant to be a starting point for university administration.

“I’d like to clarify that this is a recommendation to the University,” Din said. “Given all the legal standards, that’s something the University, once this legislation is sent to them, they can address and tweak and use their own judgment on.” 

The resolution, which will be acted upon as a recommendation given to University Housing and administration officials, passed in a close vote of 22 positive votes, 17 negative votes and four abstentions.

The final piece of legislation passed was SR 105 - The 102nd Session Sine Dine Act, a resolution confirming the work done by the 102nd session and its administration. It acts largely as a historical document meant to chronicle the actions taken by those in the session.

In the final moments of the 102nd session, the senators thanked their peers for a successful term. Student Senate President Pro Tempore Stephen McGuinness delivered a goodbye address to Student Senate President Miles Calzini.

“I believe I speak for all of the senate that we couldn’t be more proud to have had you for the past five years, and we couldn’t be more sad to see you leave but off to change the world you will go and change the world you will,” McGuinness said.

Student Body President Elect Timothy Reid will swear in March 29, and the first meeting of the 103rd session and the final meeting of the academic year will take place April 5.

Legislation Passed

GB 93 - Senate Committee Restructure Act - Passed

GB 93 will merge the Standing Committee on Academics with the Standing Committee on Student Affairs, citing an inefficient division of labor between Standing Committees. The bill passed with 32 positive votes, 10 negative votes and one abstention.

R 94 - Supporting the Mental Health Intervention Progress Report Act - Passed

R 94 establishes an opinion of the Student Government that the University should follow guidelines and recommendations proposed by the Select Department on Mental Health Intervention, including providing resources for grieving students and implementing mental health education into first-year classes. The bill passed with 44 positive votes, zero negative votes and zero abstentions.

R 106 - Naloxone and Basic First Aid Training Act - Passed

R 106 recommends to University Housing that resident advisors carry the Naloxone drug in the case of students experiencing an overdose. It would require students sign a waiver allowing resident advisors to administer emergency aid. The bill passed with 22 positive votes, 17 negative votes and four abstentions.

R 107 - Mental Health First Aid Act - Passed

R 107 recommends an additional eight hours of mental health training for resident advisors. The bill passed with 41 positive votes, two negative votes and zero abstentions.

FB 109 - Liquid Rocketry Lab Funding Act - Passed

FB 109 would fund the Liquid Rocketry Act $4,999 for safety equipment and materials. The bill passed with 36 positive votes, zero negative votes and zero abstentions.

FB 110 - Men’s Ultimate Club Funding Act - Passed

FB 110 would fund the Men’s Ultimate Club $4,999 for the purpose of flights and lodging during a May 2023 tournament. The bill passed with 36 positive votes, zero negative votes and zero abstentions.

FB 112 - Second Alpha Kappa Psi Funding Act - Passed

FB 112 would fund Alpha Kappa Psi $4,999 for graduation and recruitment materials as well as travel fees throughout the year. The bill passed with 36 positive votes, zero negative votes and zero abstentions.

GB 114 - Let’s Make CENTS Again Act - Passed

GB 114 creates restrictions within the Treasury branch on creating additional bureaucracies in order to maintain the financial integrity of Student Government. The bill passed with 36 positive votes, zero negative votes and zero abstentions.

SR 105 - The 102nd Session Sine Die Act - Passed

SR 105 establishes the adjournment of the 102nd Student Government session indefinitely. The bill passed with 35 positive votes, zero negative votes and zero abstentions.