This week’s meeting also kicked off election season.
ASUW senators voted to form a committee that will establish a strategic senate plan for diversity, equity and inclusion at Tuesday’s meeting.
Senate Bill 2649, authored by ASUW Director of Diversity Katie Tay, is meant to augment ASUW’s current four-year strategic plan and states that “Moving Forward 2018-2022 identified some diversity-related goals, but those goals could be elaborated upon and put into a diversity-specific context by multicultural program stakeholders on campus.”
Senators passed the bill unanimously after some debate about ensuring proper representation on the committee from within the senate itself, and the committee will be formed during this semester to present a plan of action by the summer.
As of Thursday, students can submit applications for the senate, vice president and president for the 2019 ASUW elections. Applications can be found on ASUW’s site and must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. March 14. Interested applicants must attend one of two information sessions March 10 or 11, at which food will be provided.
In other business, Center for Student Involvement and Leadership director Jeremy Davis addressed the senate to provide updates for the Union visioning study, which seeks to examine “the current use of this building and what the future holds for it.” The study includes “Pizza and Perspectives on the Union” tonight at 7 p.m. in the Union’s West Ballroom, at which students, staff and faculty are invited to share their input about what they would to see the Union become, and comment on last night’s graffiti wall event in Half-Acre.
Special guest Mike Samp, chief of the UW Police Department, provided an overview of the UWPD’s recent activities and direction – most particularly, the continued plan to examine high-traffic paths through campus and improve safety for students by providing increased visibility, lighting, security cameras and more. Samp also touched upon the upward trend of substance-abuse problems on campus.
“The reported sexual assaults we get from our office, almost every time there’s alcohol involved with either the suspect or the victim or both – that’s not to victim-blame, that’s just to call it what it is,” Samp said. “Marijuana continues to be an issue on our campus. We had, I believe, our second-highest year, last year, for drug arrests on this campus.”
Samp said that “students looking out for each other” can do a great deal for the response to and prevention of incidents related to drugs and alcohol, including long-term detrimental effects upon student success at UW and in life.
Samp also thanked senators and members of UW fraternities and sororities for their support of the successful Jackalope Jump during the weekend to raise money for the Wyoming Special Olympics. Samp himself was a contributor and joined those who took an icy plunge at the event.
The Expeditionary Air Club, also known as the UW Air Force ROTC, requested, and was granted, $7,773 for the annual Joint Military Ball in April, which brings the UW community together with cadets and military officials.
“It’s an opportunity for students to learn what military culture is like, how we do things, a bit about our history and our heritage,” sophomore student and Cadet 3rd Class Michael McLean said.
Tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the College of Business Auditorium, ASUW’s Financial Wellness Committee will host Colin Ryan, a financial educator and author with comedic tendencies, for an evening of financial advice, humor and free food.
