This week from the Senate chambers: the announcement of three new clubs receiving bills at their next meeting, whether a hot dog is a sandwich and a reminder of kindness.
As a general notice, Senator Jose Montoya reminded the senate that he has been compiling election information in an effort to get students to vote. He has been collecting each state’s registration deadlines, alongside their absentee voter information.
This week, many committees addressed their ongoing projects. The Student Organization Committee addressed their continued push for the Student Organization fair, occurring Oct. 6.
Additionally, the committee acknowledged three organizations in the process of becoming recognized, all of which will have bills introduced to the floor in their Oct. 5 session. No clubs or organizations were addressed by name, however.
The External Affairs Committee is still reaching out to the Narragansett Town Council about a potential town hall meeting with them to be held on the University of Rhode Island campus. As always, the committee requests that anyone who has issues with their landlords should contact the committee.
The Academic Affairs Committee has partnered with the Cultural Affairs Committee in planning their “Lunch and Learn” on Oct. 6 outside the Multicultural Student Services Center. The lunch is planned to have free food from Caliente, a Mexican restaurant in the Emporium.
The Campus Affairs Committee is planning a trash cleanup and wants to gather a few people to enlist in joining their cleanup. If the cleanup goes well, the committee is aiming to make their cleanups into a biweekly event.
The Senate also addressed issues pertaining to pests on campus, suggesting that anyone who is dealing with a pest issue in a residential hall should reach out to an RA about it. If the pest issue is in an educational building, they should reach out to their professor. The University has a contract with a pest control company and they respond to issues quickly. The committee is unsure if the services can be provided in response to yellow jackets surrounding trash cans around campus.
Following the reports from each committee, a question was raised among the senators: Is a hot dog a sandwich? The Senate left it unanswered, however.
To conclude this week’s meeting, Senate president Grace Kiernan left the room with a positive message: to be kind to one another. She explained that this semester is difficult for a lot of people, and to keep that in mind when interacting with people.
The next meeting of the Student Senate will occur next Wednesday.