Senate Beat: UNIONGATE

Highlights and action items: Applications for Honor Council and Senate Webmaster close this Friday. Senate is looking for feedback from students on the Commons Friendship Flags and anything else relating to Commons. Senators also encourage students to knock on the door of 28 West if the swipe access is ever malfunctioning.

Student Body President Andrew Happy ’27 began the meeting at 4:10pm, reporting that the Residential College Implementation Committee had met this past Wednesday but that he had been unable to attend. He then reported that the Search Committee for the next Community Safety Director had begun the process of phone screenings in an attempt to narrow down the pool of applicants. He also reported that he and Senator Sima Fasihi ’28 had recently met with Interim Community Safety Director Kevin Williams and Assistant Community Safety Director Dhyana Westfall ’05 for the CSO liaisonship and had discussed promoting transparency between Senate and Community Safety as well as Community Safety’s plan to implement swipe access to 28 West. Williams had emphasized that this would allow for identity verification at 28 West and was standard safety protocol across the country. Happy lastly reported that the Appeals Board would deliberate an ongoing case this Friday. 

Student Body Vice President Taylor Barth ’27 reported that he would meet with the Alumni Committee on Thursday and with the Commons Committee on Friday. He also reported that the Student Committee on Diversity (SCOD) is currently workshopping a survey which will be presented during SCOD’s next tabling event. 

Senator Enzo Lawrence ’28 reported that Reed Union met this past Friday to discuss free speech as it pertains to the Honor Principle. He reported that the meeting had gone well and that there had been much engagement and good conversation. He emphasized that there was a lack of faculty attendees and that there is a plan to advertise to faculty further the next time Reed Union hosts an event. Lawrence also reported that he had joined the Residential Life Liaison Committee. 

Senator Alastair Budd ’27 reported that he had participated in an AppComm meeting discussing the next Pool Hall manager this past week, and that he had recently agreed to assist with the Sustainability Committee. He lastly reported that there would be another FinComm meeting that day and an AppComm hearing on Wednesday. 

Senator Manuel Pereira Lopes ’28 had no new business to report. 

Assistant Treasurer Al McKee ’29 reported that they were waiting on a response from the bookstore and that the Honor Council had had its first meeting the week prior. 

Vice Treasurer Bella Reyes ’27 reported that FinComm would be held later that day and that this past week it had deliberated on the Kpop Dance Club. Reyes further reported that the Risk Management Liaisonship would henceforth be referred to as Board on Undertaking Student Hazards (BUSH). 

Head Treasurer Maya Gutierrez ’27 reported that the week prior, Kpop Dance Club had requested $1,350.49 and had been allocated $469.90. Happy then requested a motion and a second, which were provided by Senator Sophie Braunstein ’28 and Barth respectively. The vote passed unanimously. Gutierrez then reported that the new committee tasked with creating an application for and then approving the use of the unused Student Union office space by a Reed organization would henceforth be called KRRC Office Committee (KOC). 

Senator Stella Greer ’29 reported that the Commons Committee meeting had been cancelled last week and they will meet this week instead. She encourages students to send any feedback to either Barth, Pereira Lopes, or herself. She also reported that the Accessibility Committee will meet on March 19, and that the Computing Planning Policy Committee (CPPC) will meet later this month. She then reported that BUSH was waiting on scheduling a meeting and that she had recently been added to KOC. 

Senator Fasihi reported that she had attended Reed Union but had missed the recent SCOD meeting. She reported that the Student Committee Academic Planning and Policy (SCAPP) will have new members joining Friday. She then emphasized that if the swipe at 28 West is malfunctioning, students should feel free to knock. She then reported that AppComm recommended Solomiia Samofalova ’29 for Pool Hall Assistant Manager. Happy asked for a motion and a second, which were provided by Lawrence and Gutierrez respectively. Greer abstained from the vote but it was otherwise unanimous. 

Senator Sofie Braunstein ’28 then reported that Reed Union had had a great student showout but had trouble getting the event on the faculty calendar. She mentioned that this would be brought up at the next Reed Union meeting, at which time the council would also petition the President’s office for an actual budget. She then reported that the Accountability Group Liasonship had met on Wednesday night to discuss the new Honor Council position, applications for which will close on Friday. She then reported that Bylaw Review is still scheduling a meeting and that BUSH will be setting up a meeting within the next few weeks. She then reported that AppComm would like to recommend Milo Judah Roth Exeley Shaw-Smith “Mao” Gendelmen ’29 for KRRC Record Librarian. Happy asked for a motion and a second, which were provided by Greer and McKee respectively. The vote was unanimously approved. Braunstein finally reported that applications will close this Friday for Honor Council and for Senate Webmaster. 

Happy then asked for any new business from the senate members and audience.

Gutierrez read an official statement from the student senate regarding ICE activities onto the record. 

Sam Kuo ’28, who was in the audience, then pointed out that Barth had not attended Reed Union and had instead chosen to spend time in the sun. Barth then apologized and promised to attend the next one. This exchange was dubbed UNIONGATE. 

Happy adjourned the meeting at 4:24pm. All senators were in attendance except for Senator Justin Sotomayor ’27.