This week in ASCSU: Disabled student housing, transportation
(Graphic Illustration by Christine Moore-Bonbright | The Collegian)
April 7, 2023
The Associated Students of Colorado State University convened April 5 for the 25th session of the 52nd senate.
Senate resumed after the March 29 session was adjourned shortly after the session began, with several senators citing concerns over the hostile tensions within senate after the presidential and vice presidential debate.
Ad
“I’ve seen a lot of problems on this campus with how we raise our framework around people with invisible disabilities. I think going forward, we need to change our mindsets about it and realize we don’t know what goes on in everybody’s life.” – Nora Aslan, Internal Affairs Committee chair
Senators also noted that the weekly ASCSU email, which includes the agenda for the Wednesday session, was not sent 48 hours before the senate session, violating ASCSU guidelines designed to facilitate accommodation for senate members with disabilities.
Senate then moved into a lengthy gallery input session, where several ASCSU officials, CSU students and other members of the disabled community took the opportunity to advocate for those with disabilities, promote increased university accommodations and denounce instances of ableism on campus.
“We are powerful because we move through this world differently,” said Sen. Ruairí Low, who organized the gallery input and sit-in. “Disability is really about differences.”
“I’ve seen a lot of problems on this campus with how we raise our framework around people with invisible disabilities,” Internal Affairs Committee Chair Nora Aslan said. “I think going forward, we need to change our mindsets about it and realize we don’t know what goes on in everybody’s life.”
Speaker of the Senate and President-elect, then-presidential candidate, Nick DeSalvo also addressed recent internal criticism and allegations that he discriminated against senate members with disabilities during the March 29 session.
“The suggestion that I’m ableist or have some sort of malice toward the disabled community is not only an outright falsehood, it’s deeply hurtful,” DeSalvo said.
Bill 5220, “CSU Temporarily Disabled Student Transportation Program Funding,” was then discussed.
The bill requests funding from the Senate Discretionary Fund and other campus organizations totaling over $60,000 for the creation of a transportation program for temporarily disabled students managed by the Office of Off-Campus Life with the intention of increasing accessibility on campus and adequately accommodating students with disabilities.
The program will utilize a rented golf cart operated by hired employees to transport students across the CSU campus.
Ad
The bill will be sent to the University, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Budgetary affairs committees.
Executive reports followed, with Director of Environmental Affairs Kenneth Kinneer, Chief of Staff Haydyn Deason, Deputy Director of Multimedia Alejandra Quesada Stoner, Director of Diversity & Inclusion Charlie Williamson, Director of Traditions and Programs Reed Vega, Director of Housing Security Jorge Garcia and Director of Marketing Grace Crangle updating senate on matters such as upcoming Earth Month events, the success of the U+2 Action Committee, the Body Project and the CSU Drag Show.
During judicial reports, Chief Justice Marcus Zacarias updated senate on judicial happenings, reiterating the success of the U+2 Action Committee and reminding senate of upcoming judicial branch position openings.
Resolution 5207, “Expansion of All Gender Housing,” was then discussed.
The legislation intends to lobby Housing & Dining Services to expand all-gender housing on the CSU campus to help create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all CSU students.
The bill will be sent to the University, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Internal affairs committees.
Bill 5219, “ASCSU Travel Grant Funding,” was also considered to conclude the session.
The bill seeks $6,000 from the Senate Discretionary Fund to help fund an ASCSU travel grant that intends to increase travel opportunities for CSU students.
The bill was passed with unanimous consent.
ASCSU Senate will resume April 12.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated to reflect the correct spelling of Ruairí Low’s name and include their involvement in organizing the gallery input.
Reach Sam Hutton at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @Sam_Hut14.
Hunter • Apr 10, 2023 at 1:42 am
Senator RUAIRÍ Low spent the whole week organizing this sit-in in response to Speaker DeSalvo’s blatant ableism on 3/29. You need to give them credit for their (unpaid) emotional labor and continuously elevating the voices of the disabled community. This article is truly shameful. And the quote you pulled is completely out of context to make their speech more palatable. Try this one instead:
“It is 2023. Why am I up here talking about the bare minimum? I am sick of everybody who has been complicit in this, in this campus, overlooking their disabled peers. Overlooking us because you don’t want to look at us. Because you can only stare at us when we’re not looking. Because you already always stare anyway. I want tonight to be a call to action for every single person in this room.” -Senator Low, Student Disability Center
Senator Ruairí Low • Apr 9, 2023 at 4:10 pm
My name is spelled Ruairí not “Rory,” and I am the one who organized and coordinated that gallery input and sit in. It was a protest against rampant inaccessibility on campus and was sparked because of Speaker DeSalvo fighting the 48 hour rule on 3/29 which is an approved accommodation that he has no place to dispute or call arbitrary. In all honesty the coverage of this night is rather disappointing given that I’m not credited for organizing the gallery input, that the issue of campus inaccessibility is not being uplifted, and that my name is spelled incorrectly on top of all of it. I recognize coverage of this issue is complicated, but this article needs to be revised bare minimum to include the correct spelling of my name.
Serena Bettis • Apr 9, 2023 at 9:52 pm
Hi Ruairí,
My apologies for misspelling your name. We have corrected that.