Student Senate report: 3/2

The Student Senate began this week with Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn seeking Student Senate endorsement for a project. Bjorn is looking to create a $3.8 to $4 million dollar artificial turf football field. The hope is to create an athletic field for all students and sports. The current plan to pay for the new field is to raise tuition by $45 per semester for five years. However, in 10 years the football turf will have to be redone, so Bjorn said he would not be opposed to covering the cost of the field in three years and using the remaining years to help cover the cost for the redo.

Bjorn said that the field could be used for any sports, clubs or organizations that wish to use it until midnight. The other plans are to host high school championships and outdoor concerts. President David Dooley will only allow this to go through if the Athletics department gets an endorsement from the Student Senate. One of the main concerns is that the new field will have permanent football lines painted on, leading to the concern that the field could become just a field for the football team. Senate made sure to mention that they would only give an endorsement if they are able to list a set of guidelines that the Athletics department has to follow. If given the endorsement this semester, the new field will be completed by 2017.

Student Senate moved forward to a debate about an upcoming event called ‘Slut Walk.’ Many Senators became opposed to the idea of using the word ‘slut’ in the title. Many pointed to the fact that the reason for the walk is to end slut shaming and make a statement that what you wear does not mean consent. While others said that the word makes them feel uncomfortable to endorse as a Student Senate event.

“The issue that everyone seems to be having with the word is almost exactly the reason why we need the event,” Maggie Oliver, academic affairs chairwoman, said.

   Student Senate finished up their meeting by voting on the recognition of two new student-funded groups. The first group seeking recognition was the Student Nonviolence Involvement Coalition Organization. The group is a local chapter of a national organization looking to promote Peace and Nonviolence on campus. The group is not connected to the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies. Senate voted to approve the club to be a student-funded organization. The next group was the Billiard’s Club. Billiard’s Club is a club looking to play billiards and pool in the Memorial Union. The controversy that arose was the fact that the club cannot reserve the pool tables in the Union. In the end, Senate voted to recognize Billiard’s Club as a student funded organization.

 

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