Senate Spotlight - 26 October 2022
The Senate approves grants and appoints two new student government members.
Anjali Rabindran | arabindran@butler.edu
Butler University’s Student Government Association (SGA) Student Senate met on Wednesday, October 26th at 7 pm in the Irvington Community Room.
The meeting began with a presentation from the Senior Director of Information Technology (IT), Joseph Ader. He announced that over the next couple of years there would be a full wireless redesign of the entire campus. Called WiFi6E with 6GHz, the network will be going from 75Mbps to 175Mbps through 400+Mbps of speed. After experiencing an influx of complaints about the signal strength in Jordan Hall, the IT department will be fully redesigning the building's wireless network as a trial for the new signal. Students are encouraged to get in contact with Ader through the IT help desk at Ask.butler.edu with any questions or concerns.
The second presentation was from the South Asian Student Association (SASA). The Association proposed a grant of $4,165 to aid in bringing traditions, such as Diwali, to campus and to help students celebrate and connect with their South Asian culture. SASA will host several educational and cultural events on campus to enrich students. Events include food from the local eatery Shalimar Indian Restaurant. The Senate voted to approve the grant for SASA.
Tomi Clark, Director of Student Engagement (SE), introduced information about recent outreach events and data, collected by her board. She detailed that the Student Engagement Board was created to ensure that students feel connected and involved at Butler while also introducing a dynamic, inclusive, and vibrant campus. The board would like to increase opportunities for students to express any concerns or frustrations. This upcoming Monday, October 31, they are hosting a Halloween tabling event at Starbucks from 11-1 pm, which includes trick or treat bags and a Fall-themed basket giveaway.
The Senate confirmed Emily Betz, a passionate nominee for the vacant Senator position to represent the College of Education. She wants to give a voice to students in education and bridge the gap between the main and south campuses. “The South campus is very distant from the main campus,” said Betz. She hopes to connect the two sides of Butler, united through the College of Education. Senator Alex Stencel (‘23), the primary sponsor of Betz’s nomination resolution, believed that she was a well-fitting candidate for the chair, especially seeing as the spot needed to be filled. Senator AJ Boes (Student Activities Committee Chair and ‘24 Senator), the resolution’s secondary sponsor, concurred that she was an excellent candidate for the position.
Lucy Olmstead was confirmed by the Senate to be the Director of Public Relations in the Executive Cabinet. Senators shared that she was the most qualified candidate for the position, and they were pushing to fill the empty seat as soon as possible.
A resolution to allocate funds for additional trash cans outside of Atherton Union and other locations was approved. Eight trash cans at the cost of $4,000 are now to be placed outside of hotspots of accumulation of trash, pending the signature of the President.
Students for Justice in Palestine presented a grant before the Senate on October 19th for $1,200.95 to sponsor events concerning the conflict in Palestine. Senator Grant White (LSB) opposed the resolution, however, the resolution was passed 17-1.
The Senate approved an endorsement for the Student College of Clinical Pharmacy, which will provide resources and outreach for students searching for employment and internships in Clinical Pharmacy. Additionally, the Senate passed a resolution to grant funds to the French club, the club will use the grant for learning enhancements and snacks for future events.
The Senate granted two endorsements to on-campus programs and fraternities. The first is an endorsement for Beta Pi Theta Tau, a dual-degree engineering fraternity, as an official student organization at Butler University. Senators Justin Deem-Loureiro and Hadassah Brent opposed the resolution, however, it was passed 15-2-1. Second, the Senate approved Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) to be an official student organization of Butler University unanimously.
During committee chair reports, Senator Bryan Galang, chair of the Appropriations Committee, stated that they would like to pass more grants than they have so far during this legislative session. Senate grant applications can be found here (link to the engage form). The Senate adjourned at 8:30pm. Resolutions approved at this meeting have been sent to the President for signature. Senate meetings are held every week at 7pm in the Irvington Community Room. All students are welcome to attend. Additional details can be found on the Butler SGA’s website.