Despite communications issues within the executive and legislative branches of the University of Rhode Island student senate, the organization will continue to work to improve academic and community policy at the university level.
Student senate plans to speak with the new Narragansett Town Council and chief of police, Kyle Rekas, and the South Kingstown Town Council, according to Matthew Cayer, fourth-year student and chair of external affairs.
“That immediate communication is important,” Cayer said. “So we can know what we need from each other and what needs to be done, if anything.”
The newly elected Narragansett Town Council is eager to increase communication between URI and the Narragansett community, according to Cayer. Cayer has communicated with the council electronically and is scheduled to meet with one of its members next week. Many of the new Narragansett council members rent their properties to URI students and want to foster better relationships, according to Cayer.
Student senate is also collaborating with the university staff to make academic changes in the spring semester.
Academic Affairs Chair and College of Pharmacy Representative Molly Wentworth is working with other college representatives to standardize grading schemes at the university. Each academic college has their own grading scale however professors are allowed to modify it.
“Generally a 93 is an A, a B is an 80, but sometimes professors change this at their own discretion,” Wentworth said. “I feel this isn’t 100% necessary and can be a little inconsistent.”
Wentworth’s committee members plan to speak with their respective deans to get their input and help bring about this change. The College of Pharmacy’s dean, Kerry LaPlante, agreed that this could be possible for the College of Pharmacy to implement, according to Wentworth.
During the fall semester, the student senate faced obstacles that made it difficult to achieve what they wanted, according to Cayer.
The passing of Maureen McDermott, the director of student involvement, has been difficult on the senate, according to Nick Cronan, the student senate’s director of the treasury. McDermott helped advise the student senate.
“A lot of our work kind of went on pause for a little bit,” Cronan said. “We tried to come together and pay our respects to her and her legacy.”
Cronan hopes to go into the spring semester ready to work in McDermott’s memory.
The senate experienced internal issues before McDermott’s passing, according to Cayer, which halted collaborative progress.
Forging a better bond between the executive and legislative branch of the student senate is essential to moving forward, according to Wentworth.
In the fall semester, Student Senate President Argha Goswami posted on the president of senate Instagram account about a new policy change on property use being discussed within the URI Board of Trustees. This policy would prohibit temporary structures, bicycle, skateboard and scooter use, and the postage of flyers and signs, according to the post.
“I understand that the board of trustees needed this policy,” Cayer said. “It was just very flawed.”
After Goswami raised concerns about these issues, University President Marc Parlange and Vice President of Student Affairs Ellen Reynolds met with the senate to amend and clarify the policy, according to Cayer. Goswami was a part of a special committee to help revise the policy as well.
“It looks a lot better, they did specify a lot more things,” Cayer said.
There is currently no public outline for this revised policy.
“We could do a little bit of a better job being respectful to one another,” Wentworth said.
Cayer hopes these issues will be resolved and the senate can enter this semester with a clean slate.