Story by Emma Wilson
Student Senate had a short meeting before leaving for spring break.
The Triathlon Club requested funding from Senate to pay for a coach to help it during practices for the remainder of the year. The coach would be present to keep the club motivated and help participants with their form while competing and practicing.
The club requested funding to pay for the coach for the remainder of this school year because next year it has links for potential sponsorships, which could cover the costs of paying for a coach. The motion passed unanimously.
Voice of Choice requested one-time funding from Senate for its Roe v. Wade 40th Anniversary Demonstration. The event will take place during the week of April 8 and will feature a “Not in Her Shoes” campaign to encourage society to allow women to make their own decisions about their reproductive rights.
“One thing we want to draw attention to with this is how many women still die from not having safe and legal access to abortions,” said Voice of Choice representative Caitlin O’Donnell. “On average it’s about 220 women each year who die from unsafe abortions.”
Voice of Choice will use a portion of the money requested from Senate to buy roses to represent women who have died from unsafe abortions. The motion was passed by acclimation.
Enactus, formerly known as Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), requested funding from Senate to attend its regional competition. There was not a representative from Enactus present at the meeting. The motion was passed by acclimation.
The Habitat for Humanity Club requested funding from Senate for their alternative spring break trip to restore a home in Texas. The group had come to Senate earlier in the year to request funding for the trip but returned to request more funding because they had only requested enough money to cover the cost of their car rental earlier. The additional money requested was intended to cover participation fees required by Habitat Humanity International.
Several senators expressed concerns over what the participation fees would be used for.
“My only concern right now is that maybe the participation fee is maybe going to materials that might not be bringing anything back to campus,” Sen. Stephen Slade said.
Sen. Josh Schoenblatt moved to amend the total amount requested to a total for $1240 with $415 for gas and $270 for a hotel. Both the amendment and the motion carried with Sens. Emily Grimm, Slade and Treasurer Michael Reibel voting against it.
Sen. Breanna Thompson announced that the Student Affairs Committee will be holding a workshop for all of the new presidents of student organizations on April 7 and will be focusing on encouraging sustainability.
