The Associated Students of Colorado State University met on Oct. 27 for their ninth meeting of the semester. ASCSU heard a presentation on some projects the department of academics is working on and a presentation on Resolution 5106, “Dedication to Access.”
Carter Reiter, chief of staff, spoke on the department of academics’ projects. These include creating a database for class registration and a memorandum of understanding, which would take data from residence halls and RAs and apply it to other projects.
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Reiter said the department is also working with the Center for the Analytics of Learning and Teaching. They will be trying to market and adapt an online database where students will be able to upload test data and study habits, and then the data will be compiled into results after exams.
“It’s a fully online resource that students can use to adjust their study habits based on exam results,” Reiter said. “They want to be more intentional about learning and (have) less emphasis on grades overall.”
Reiter said the department is also working on various resolutions in ASCSU and marketing campaigns for Open Educational Resources as well CSU bookstore resources. The department is developing a project called NameCoach that will help students and professors “bridge the gap between pronunciations, pronouns and honorifics.”
The department of academics is collaborating with multiple other departments at CSU, including the Student Diversity Programs and Services offices, on holding professors accountable, especially those with tenure and “adjusting those expectations to have more accountability for faculty,” Reiter said.
Every single one of us represents disabled students, how hard is it to create a welcoming environment to everyone to be here?” – Ariadne Athey, senator for the Student Disability Center and chair of the Internal Affairs Committee
Resolution 5106, “Dedication to Access,” seeks to dedicate ASCSU to access and accommodation to itself and its constituents. The resolution was written by Ariadne Athey, a Student Disability Center senator and the Internal Affairs Committee chair.
“ASCSU and the senate specifically need to do better,” Athey said. “Becoming hostile toward the … rules for accessibility in our space, it is so shameful. Every person in this space was not given this position to do what we want or just to put being here on our resume. It is our job to do what is best for our students at CSU.”
The ASCSU Constitution states that “ASCSU must be accessible to all students.” The ASCSU Constitution also states that, for official meetings of ASCSU, agendas must be sent out 48 hours in advance, as well as all additional documents, including legislation and presentations.
“Any documents that I’m seeing sent out most of the time miss the deadline,” Athey said.
Font in presentations must also be big enough for all participants to see, and every participant must use a microphone when speaking. Students can send accommodation requests to the Student Disability Center, and other community members can send accommodation requests to the Office of Equal Opportunity.
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“Every single one of us represents disabled students,” Athey said. “How hard is it to create a welcoming environment to everyone to be here?”
ASCSU Speaker of the Senate Kyle Hill said the resolution will be sent to the Internal Affairs Committee and the University Affairs Committee.
“I think it’s up to every single person in this room to be putting accessibility at the forefront of their brain on whatever they’re working on rather than the last step on the process,” Athey said.
Reach Piper Russell at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @PiperRussell10.
