During this week’s meeting, the Student Senate passed a resolution to encourage faculty to provide relief options to students due to the lack of a Spring Break this semester.
“A few weeks ago, the Student Senate cabinet had a meeting with their Faculty Senate counterparts on alternatives to a spring break,” Speaker Caleb Hilyard said.
According to him, the resolution arose as a possible substitution for Spring Break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It contained a drafted statement to be released to faculty and finalized to be released to the community next Wednesday, March 31.
The statement addressed how “the ever-present danger of COVID-19, the challenges of distance learning and the rise of violence across the country” can be challenging for students and teachers alike.
“We, as the representatives of the campus community, encourage faculty to be more cognizant of the academic stresses on students,” Hilyard said in the statement. “Extending assignment deadlines, reducing homework and even canceling classes are all possibilities and encouraged.”
The statement also encouraged students to reach out to the various resources the University of Rhode Island offers, such as the Counseling Center, Writing Center, Health Services, Disability Services and others. The bill passed with 23 votes.
The Senate was joined by Dr. Christopher Nasin, medical director of Health Services, and Ellen Reynolds, director of Health Services, who delivered a presentation on the available COVID-19 vaccines and the importance of getting vaccinated.
“The consequences of the pandemic have been fairly catastrophic,” Nasin said. According to him, the United States has seen over 29 million cases of COVID with over 542,000 deaths. This number is greater than the number of American lives lost during World War II and made COVID-19 the leading cause of adult deaths in the United States, he said.
“The good news is that we now have a light at the end of the tunnel,” Nasin said. “There are currently three U.S. vaccines available to Americans, and there is soon to be a fourth.”
Nasin explained that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are messenger RNA vaccines. Both vaccines have an effective rate of over 95 percent in patients.
According to Nasin, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is a more traditional vaccine and only requires one shot compared to the two needed for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
“When you look at the phase three results for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, it was 85 percent effective in the prevention of severe disease and 100 percent effective in the prevention of death,” Nasin said. “That’s what we are really concerned about.”
All three vaccines are going to have a significant impact on how sick individuals will get after exposure to COVID-19, according to Nasin.
He also stressed that the sooner people are vaccinated, the sooner life can return to “normal.”
“[COVID-19] is a worldwide problem, and it’s going to be a while until we can get herd immunity,” Nasin said. “We are in this together.”
He encouraged individuals to continue to follow COVID-19 protocols even after receiving the vaccine.
The Senate voted on a bill this week for the annual re-recognition of Student Senate organizations. The bill comprised a list of the 19 organizations that did not complete the re-recognition process and the 104 organizations that did. The bill passed with 21 votes.
They also voted on a bill to change the bylaws of the Student Senate. According to Instruments Committee Chair Christopher Bove, the bill simplifies the impeachment process of the Senate. The bill passed with 22 votes.
Student Organizations Committee Chair Katie Siegle announced that URI’s spirit week will take place next week.
The next Student Senate meeting will take place on March 31 at 6:30 p.m.