The Associated Students of Colorado State University voted on three pieces of legislation at its Wednesday night meeting. 

These resolutions focused on student-parent absences, clarity in senate legislation and a request for ASCSU’s recognition of the University’s women’s volleyball team.

Resolution 4807: Student-parent absence

The student-parent absentee resolution, presented by Senator Josh Johnson, passed with a 29-1-1 vote. 

The resolution aims to aid student-parents on days when school districts surrounding CSU have planned or unplanned closures, such as student-parent conferences or snow days.

Originally, the resolution only focused on the Poudre School District. Johnson said the change was made to include student-parents with children not in the district.

The resolution was also changed from asking the administration to consider the resolution to say that the administration will do what the resolution asks. 

University Affairs Chair Christian Dykson said this change recognizes that the ASCSU senate body has power, as well as emphasizes that the senate’s voice is the students’ voice.

“The goal is to ask for a policy level change,” Johnson said. “So, not just for a professor to say, ‘I don’t want to do that in my classroom.’ We want to have professors and graduate teachers to have written instruction that says we are giving the privilege of missing class without penalizing points for our student-parents to care for their children during school closures.”

Professors serve us, and we should keep their needs in mind as well when we talk about this.” -Ethan Burshek, ASCSU senator

Senator Ethan Burshek shared concerns about placing too much pressure on professors to keep track of their student-parents and the school district closures.

“Professors serve us, and we should keep their needs in mind as well when we talk about this,” Burshek said. “So, I feel like this puts too much onus on professors individually to keep track of things that are not necessarily theirs to keep track of.”

Burshek suggested finding an alternative route.

Senator Kyle Hill said professors serve students and should be working to accommodate them.

Clarity in legislation, women’s volleyball team recognition

The senate unanimously passed two other pieces of legislation.

Burshek wrote Bill 4920, which clarifies the difference between sponsorships and endorsements in the senate when discussing legislation.

According to the bill, there has become a “cultural phenomenon in senate that a sponsorship signature equals support for the content of the legislation, despite that not being the case.”

To solve this, it was voted that a disclaimer be added to each bill, resolution and lex above the section reserved for sponsorship signatures. The disclaimer states a signature to sponsor is not the same as supporting but that it’s “simply a statement asking for the legislation to be heard.”

The senate also passed a resolution recognizing the CSU women’s volleyball team.

Dykson wrote the resolution, asking for ASCSU to extend its congratulations to the CSU women’s volleyball team for an incredible season. It also asked to offer ASCSU’s continued support as the team competes in the 2019 NCAA Championship Tournament, beginning Dec. 6. 

The resolution states that the recognition focuses on the team’s 28-game win streak and its qualification for the NCAA Tournament for the 25th year in a row.

Charlotte Lang can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @chartrickwrites.