The Associated Student Government Senate met Wednesday to revise its governing code, vote on legislation and introduce new legislation for next week’s meeting.
Weinberg sophomore and ASG Parliamentarian Grace Houren proposed several updates to the ASG Code, which serves as “an operational rulebook and guide” for ASG members.
Houren’s proposals included provisions to allow student groups without an elected Senate position to send a non-voting delegate to write legislation, allow the speaker of the Senate and the parliamentarian to introduce legislation, allow the speaker to break a tied vote, allow the president to create new Executive Board positions for one term and allow ASG to hold remote Senate meetings in extreme weather conditions.
She also proposed set procedures for allocating student group funding, which were not previously formalized in the Code.
The Senate will vote on the Code revisions at next week’s meeting.
Weinberg senior and NU Active Minds Senator Ben Katz’s resolution to limit student organization involvement, introduced at last week’s meeting, failed nearly unanimously, with Katz as the only “yes” vote.
The resolution faced backlash from senators last week and this week.
“If I had to be ripped away from some of my clubs… that would be way worse for my mental health than any possible gain for me from doing less stuff,” Weinberg junior and ASG Election Commission Chair Paul Graham said.
Weinberg senior and NU Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance Senator Noah Blaisdell’s resolution for Northwestern to retract the John Evans Study Committee Report passed unanimously. ASG will request that the University rescind the 2014 report, which Blaisdell said downplays the NU founder’s role in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre.
“Please help us hold Northwestern accountable for its past,” Blaisdell said.
Six additional resolutions were introduced at this week’s meeting.
McCormick sophomore and Muslim-cultural Students Association Senator Umar Kamara proposed a resolution for NU to continue serving free Iftar meals — enjoyed by Muslim students each night of Ramadan — at Foster-Walker Complex East dining hall. Senators passed the resolution immediately with a unanimous vote.
SESP junior, College Democrats Senator and Chair of the Communications Committee Aimee Resnick proposed four new resolutions at this week’s meeting. Two were voted on immediately and passed unanimously — one for NU to recognize National Eating Disorders Awareness Week from late February to early March, and another for NU to recognize the impacts of weight stigma in the Athletics Program and elsewhere.
Resnick said that, according to the annual NU Healthy Minds Study, 41% of NU students show signs of an eating disorder. Her resolution to recognize Eating Disorders Awareness Week passed unanimously.
She said NU is not doing enough to enforce its policies against weight discrimination in student groups and athletic programs on campus.
“It’s not being enforced currently,” Resnick said. “It’s going to continue because weight is not a protected class under federal law. A lot of the policies and procedures at Northwestern reference protected classes.”
ASG Co-Presidents SESP senior Donovan Cusick and McCormick senior Molly Whalen said Executive Board applications will open next week, following the Feb. 10 presidential elections.
SESP senior and Speaker of the Senate Leah Ryzenman said the application for 2024-2025 Student Group Caucus seats is also open.
In preparation for the ASG presidential election starting Thursday, Executive Board members will be in Norris on Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. encouraging students to vote and allowing them to meet candidates in person.
Students can vote on Wildcat Connection from 7 p.m. Thursday to 7 p.m. Saturday using a link that will be sent to all students’ emails.
“Please vote if you can,” Graham said. “I want you to make your voice heard.”
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