The Associated Students of Colorado State University convened Oct. 25 for the 10th session of the 53rd senate.
The session began with a presentation from several members of the Asian Pacific American Cultural Center, who detailed recent allegations that several unnamed ASCSU members participated in a themed event at the CSU Mountain Campus that offensively appropriated Hawaiian culture.
Ad
The speakers also worked to educate senate members and a full-capacity gallery area on the harmful effects of cultural appropriation ahead of the Halloween holiday.
“In our community, we cannot ignore the harm that has been done,” Senator Faraaz Bukhari said. “We must address it head-on, acknowledge it and commit to doing better.”
Senate then moved into executive reports, where Vice President Alex Silverhart and Director of Governmental Affairs Michael Stella updated senate on executive matters including the creation of an ASCSU cultural review board, National First-Generation Student Day Nov. 8 and upcoming ballot initiative education events.
During judicial reports, Associate Justice Morgan Wright and Chief Justice Alayna Truxal detailed student housing initiatives on campus and increased Americans with Disabilities Act compliance at future ASCSU campus events.
Moving into confidence business, the ratification of several additional members of the Student Fee Review Board took place.
SFRB is responsible for the allocation of approximately $57 million in annual funds generated from student fees to student organizations and campus events.
Senators Kyle Hill and Alexander Wilson were nominated for the open board positions.
“I have a bunch of thoughts in my head about how I want to facilitate and continue helping to allocate fees,” Hill said.
“With my background, I believe that I bring a really interesting perspective to this space,” Wilson said.
Ad
Only Hill was approved by the legislative body, with senate members citing Wilson’s existing time commitments as a potential inhibitor to their participation in SFRB. Wilson’s ratification will be tabled for a later session.
Senate also decided Bill #5308, “53rd Senate Job Descriptions.”
The legislation seeks to confirm the latest iteration of the senate job descriptions, which makes minor edits to membership requirements including office hour quotas and involvement in sponsored programs.
The legislation passed with unanimous consent.
To end the session, Lex #5301, “Accessibility Lex,” was considered.
The legislation requires ASCSU to ensure ADA guidelines are followed while planning future sponsored events.
The lex will be sent to the Internal Affairs Committee and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
ASCSU senate will resume Nov. 1.
Reach Sam Hutton at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @Sam_Hut14.
