The Associated Student Government Senate kicked off Winter Quarter with a legislative planning session Wednesday. Senators split up into groups to brainstorm potential legislation to tackle in the coming months.
Ideas presented to the Senate included adding more crosswalks on campus, creating worship spaces for Muslim students, increasing summer funding for student internships and research, creating a Blue Light security app and eliminating disposable coffee cups and lids in the dining halls.
The Executive Board encouraged senators to engage with members of the University’s administration to more effectively enact change with their legislation.
“Passing legislation does not mean the administration will see it,” said Alexis Schwartz, executive officer of accountability and Weinberg junior. “It does not mean the people who were supposed to interact with it will see it. You need to make sure that you engage with the people who can actually change things.”
Several Executive Board members walked senators through the process of enacting legislation using examples from previous quarters.
For instance, Campus Life Committee Chair and Weinberg senior Stephanie Shields said she met with Dining Director Stacey Lynn Brown in 2022 to get an ice cream machine installed in a dining hall. This resulted in the installment of a vegan ice cream machine in Foster-Walker Complex East dining hall.
Academics Committee Chair and Weinberg senior Brian Whetsell said he led the initiative to open a lending library for textbooks and other course books in Deering Library. To make this happen, he met with Chris Davidson, the campus and community engagement librarian at Northwestern.
Shields and Whetsell also discussed legislation they are currently drafting.
Shields said her committee is conducting a survey on which parts of campus are adequately lit at night to ensure safety. She said the survey will come out Sunday — posters around campus will feature a QR code with the link.
Whetsell announced he is launching a student-faculty interaction grant so students can do “cool things” with their professors and TAs, such as getting dinner or going to a play.
Student Group Liaison and Communication sophomore Enzo Banal also announced that ASG approved the new student organizations for Winter Quarter.
Co-President and McCormick senior Molly Whalen said some affinity-based student groups have had issues with the policy on outside food in the Norris University Center, which limits the kinds and amount of food student groups can bring into the building. Whalen said ASG will work to ensure a uniform policy on outside food that supports cultural events.
Speaker of the Senate and SESP senior Leah Ryzenman said the Election Commission Committee met today to set guidelines for the upcoming ASG presidential election in February.
The Senate is also preparing to host guest speaker Mayor Daniel Biss at the Jan. 31 meeting.
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