The University of Rhode Island’s Student Senate was able to vote on two new representatives and discuss five new bills during this week’s meeting.
Student Organizations Committee Chair Katie Siegle nominated Katherine Blake as the new representative of the College of Nursing. The vote passed unanimously. Adriana Turano was voted in as a new At-Large Representative, nominated by Instruments Committee Chair Christopher Bove.
Siegle also proposed two separate bills to give recognition to the Sustainable Fishing Club as well as the Investment Club; each passed unanimously.
“[The clubs] met all of our requirements [to become a recognized student organization],” Siegle said.
Bove introduced a bill to call for action on student initiatives.
Student Senate President Austyn Ramsay spoke about the purpose of this bill.
“[The Faculty Senate’s] leadership wants a more solidified bond between the Student Senate and Faculty Senate,” Ramsay said. “I think that [this bill] would bridge the gap between the two organizations.”
The bill works to address the divide between the organizations and “is a good step” for the Faculty Senate “to consider students’ voices in the form of legislation or bills,” according to Ramsay. The bill passed unanimously alongside the rest.
Vice Director of the Treasury Randy Urena proposed a bill to provide a contingency grant of $50,000 for the Office of Student Involvement.
“[This grant] will cover a various amount of campus expenses next semester,” Urena said.
President Ramsay voiced her support for this bill.
“It’s important that we help the Office of Student Involvement put on safe programming for the University,” she said.
She added that the Office of Student Involvement is “extremely willing to work with student organizations on how these funds will be used to host events.”
The bill to provide the contingency grant passed unanimously.
After this vote, Ramsay proposed a bill to call for an alternative grading option for the fall 2020 semester. She talked about the impact COVID-19 has had on academics and the solution students need.
“This bill is calling upon [the University’s leaders] to help the student body and help find a remedy to fix some of the issues students are facing right now,” Ramsay said. “COVID-19 has affected our learning and our experience as a whole.”
Attached to this bill were the testimonies of approximately 175 students about the hardships of their classes. Students voiced their concerns about how the pandemic has negatively affected their experience this semester.
“[These testimonies are] detailing what their academic experiences have been,” Ramsay said. “I think the homework part of [being a member of the Student Senate] is to speak for the student body, and academic issues are at the forefront. This resolution captures what students are going through.”
The vote on this bill passed unanimously.
Ramsay closed the meeting by thanking everyone for their time and taking their time to vote on these bills. She also mentioned that she hopes to form a “mental health task force” to aid students in the spring semester.