The Senate is back for the spring in a bustle of legislative activity, with an exciting list of initiatives for the coming months and some new faces around the ASWC office.
Convening on February 1st with a heavy agenda including the SRS 15.1 Resolution regarding sexual misconduct policy, the Senate had a productive start to the semester. Several decisions were made regarding the club finance. Some members of GlobeMed will be traveling to a conference in Chicago, a selective opportunity promises to be a meaningful and unique experience. The Climbing Club was allocated funds to finance travel for its annual trip, a cornerstone of the climbing community, and requests for funding from the Fencing and stART clubs were also approved. New members to ASWC were introduced as well: Annie Sirski as the Executive Director of Communications, Shireen Nori on the Diversity Committee, and Sonya Kuzminski as Copy Editor. Andrea Worsoe was also confirmed as a new member to the Oversight Committee.
The consideration and ultimate decision on Resolution SRS 15.1 was the bulk of the meeting. The deliberation of the resolution, and the addition of amendments, led to a powerful and serious conversation about sexual misconduct policy.
This resolution advocates changes to the language in Whitman’s Sexual Misconduct Policy, and the general investigative process. The resolution addresses Whitman’s definition of incapacitation, recommends the assignment of two investigators in a case of sexual misconduct and an increase in opportunities to appeal a case, and implements Project Callisto, an independent sexual violence reporting system. The resolution was passed unanimously and adopted by acclamation, a powerful gesture by ASWC demonstrating the serious care and thought put towards the matter.
ASWC looks forward to an exciting spring with new projects and initiatives! Looking towards the future, the Senate hopes to consider new resolutions addressing a wide variety of issues: student input in the tenure process, college credit for internships, the possibility of a Meatless Monday, content warnings for class reading material, the use of bullhooks on circus animals, and fossil fuel divestment. Concerns about the health center are also being addressed by a team from the Student Affairs Committee.
Election time is also just around the corner! Keep up with ASWC Unpacked for coming details about potential candidates, open positions, and ways to get involved.