Cait Mckinzie
The audience of the annual State of the Association Address listens to Chief of Staff Braxton Dietz Jan. 31. The 53rd senate convened for the 17th time following the State of the Association Address.
The Associated Students of Colorado State University convened Jan. 31 for the 17th session of the 53rd senate.
Executive reports began the session, with Vice President Alex Silverhart updating senate on upcoming initiatives intended to provide emergency contraceptives to CSU students.
Senate then moved into judicial reports, in which Chief Justice Alayna Truxal announced the supreme court’s acceptance of several cases, including one concerning proposed edits to the Elections Committee Code of Ethics.
Moving into confidence business, senate confirmed an amendment to the existing ASCSU Code of Ethics, which includes ethical and disciplinary guidelines for ASCSU members.
The edit, which mandates that senators accurately represent the constituents of their office or college, is intended to bring the document more in line with comparable ethics codes, including that of the executive branch of the United States government.
Senate then moved to ratify the members of the ASCSU Elections Committee, which works to oversee the annual ASCSU elections process by enforcing campaign restrictions, ensuring the voting system is accessible for the student body and ratifying the winning candidates.
The committee is primarily composed of volunteers from the CSU student body, allowing for just, equal input in the elections process across the CSU community.
Senate ratified all five candidates, including Director of Housing Security Evan Welch, with unanimous consent.
The legislative body then moved to elect the first chair of the newly formed Housing Caucus, which will work alongside CSU Housing & Dining Services to address student concerns surrounding CSU residence and dining halls.
Senator Faraaz Bukhari was nominated for the position.
A current resident assistant at Westfall Hall, Bukhari said he believes he can use his position to positively impact students and ensure the CSU residential system adequately supports all CSU students living on campus.
“If elected, I’m going to make this a space where students feel comfortable in the identities and the experiences that they hold,” Bukhari said.
Senate approved Bukhari’s nomination with unanimous consent.
Senate then decided Bill #5313, “BSOF and Travel Grant Funding.”
The bill requests funding totaling $24,000 from the Senate Discretionary Fund, allowing the Board for Student Organization Funding to continue providing funding for student organizations and travel opportunities.
The legislative authors cited unforeseen funding requests and a rushed timeline for budget approval as the primary reasons for requesting additional senate funding.
“I think, overall, that this bill is an incredible reinvestment of our funds back to the Ram community,” Accessibility Caucus Chair Sammy Trout said.
The bill passed with unanimous consent.
Senate also decided Lex #5301, “Accessibility for ASCSU Events.”
The legislation mandates that all future ASCSU-sponsored events operate within Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines in an attempt to improve accessibility for disabled students.
The legislative author, Senator Alexander Wilson, said he also believes the lex will allow ASCSU to better uphold the CSU Principles of Community and the ASCSU constitution.
“There are a lot of students that want to be in this space but are fearful (to join) because they need accommodations,” Wilson said.
Several members of the executive branch voiced their disapproval of the legislation, fearing it would unduly prevent student organizations from organizing campus events through BSOF.
After a lengthy period of debate, the legislation failed by way of an 8-7-5 vote.
Reach Sam Hutton at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @Sam_Hut14.