On Tuesday, Dec. 3, ASUW wrapped up their semester with a final senate meeting. A multitude of legislations, including six resolutions were voted on before ASUW went into recess invoking their intercession oversight committee.
Before debating and voting on the proposed legislation, President Kameron Murfitt announced the removal of Director of Student Outreach Hayden Mackenzie and Director of Student Organizations Cord Anderson from their board. Another important announcement made was the official resignation of Kim Chesnut from her position of Vice President of Student Affairs with Nichole Courtney being appointed as Chesnut’s Interim replacement.
The first piece of legislation discussed following the announcements was Senate Resolution (SR) 3019 ASUW Supports Defend the Guard Act. Through debate and discussion, a number of concerns were brought up about the resolution. This included Senator Langford addressing statistics of the U.S. military entering 34 conflicts following WWII although the U.S. has not officially declared war since. Senator Saint shared his support for the resolution and that through discussion with members of the Wyoming National Guard, these students signed up to serve the state through humanitarian issues such as the wildfires that ran rampant throughout the state over the summer and the beginning of the fall. The resolution passed with 17 in favor, 3 opposed, and 2 senators abstaining.
The second resolution voted on was SR 3021 Resolution to Change the Wyoming Union’s Funding State. The bill was passed with unanimous consent. This bill will allow the Union to be placed on the Major Maintenance Fund’s list to aid in over $4 million in necessary repairs.
SR 3022 Updates to the Student Organization Funding Board’s ticketing policy was discussed. Senator Schliebe explained to those at the meeting that the goal of the resolution is to ensure as many students can attend events on campus without concern about tickets being sold to non-students, faculty, and staff. This requires student organizations to give 80% of available tickets to students and limits the Information Desk in the Union to selling one ticket per ID presenting student. The resolution passes with a unanimous vote of 22 senators in favor.
The fourth piece of legislation proposed was SR 3024 Creation of Graduate Student Council. This resolution was heavily discussed and Chief of Staff Henningar voiced their passionate support for the creation of the council not only as an ASUW officer but also as a Graduate Student at large. Their largest concern was the mass underrepresentation of Grad. students on campus even though they make up almost a quarter of UW students. Following the in-depth conversation about the structure and logistics of the proposed council, the resolution failed with 14 in favor and 8 opposed.
Senate Resolution 3025 ASUW SUpport of Immunity for Drug Overdose Reporting Bill and Comprehensive Good Samaritan Protections was the fifth resolution voted on at the meeting. Several senators voiced their concern that the bill would condone drug use, while others discussed that the legislation would be used to protect those who would likely be using and experimenting with drugs regardless. Senator Verdeyen shared her personal experience of being protected by the Good Samaritan law while living in Colorado and voiced her support for the resolution as nobody should have to choose between facing legal trouble and saving a life. The resolution passed with 20 in favor and 2 opposed.
The final resolution voted on was SR 3026 ASUW Supports the Continued Operation of the UW Laboratory School. Senators argued that the Lab School offers UW a competitive edge amidst our declining enrollment as UW is one of the very few universities in the country with such a program. The Lab School was also discussed as an efficient way for education students to learn their true passion for teaching or learn that they might find a better fit with a different major earlier in their education. This, in turn, could save students not only time in their higher education but also money by making this decision before entering student teaching. The resolution was passed with 17 in favor and 5 opposed.
Following the vote on legislation, Senator Artemis Langford read her Letter of Resignation from the ASUW Senate. She voiced her appreciation for her time and involvement in the organization and that it was simply no longer where she needed to be. She also addressed the fact that she has not entered a single timesheet for the entirety of the semester and vowed to remain active on campus and in her community.
