Student Senate wants to the right to speak at Graduate Student Senate meetings
Is there drama between the undergraduate and graduate legislative bodies at Ohio U?
[dropcap txtcolor="#234a83" style="dropcap1"]S[/dropcap]tudent Senate voted unanimously to ask Graduate Student Senate (GSS) for speaking rights during GSS meetings, after Lama requested to speak at this week’s GSS meeting but was not allowed. “I have become increasingly upset by our counterparts in the GSS,” Lama said.GSS currently only allows voting members of its Senate to speak during debate, according to section 9.04 of the Graduate Student Senate rules and procedures. [AdSense-A]Lama also said GSS has a resolution scheduled for next week, pertaining to the acquisition of the Student Senate judicial panel to oversee Graduate Student Senate elections. Lama then said he asked if Student Senate members would be allowed to speak in Graduate Student Senate meetings, and Graduate Student Senate said no.Executive Vice Director of Event Services Dustin Kilgour also addressed Student Senate in order to discuss the planned expansion of the food pantry located inside Baker Center. The expanded food pantry will take the place of where the media mail room currently is. Kilgour claimed that the room remained unused by the school’s media. Kilgour estimated that the planned expansion will cost around $10,000, with most of the cost coming from the planned installation of a cooler, which would allow the pantry to accept perishable items. Money for the repairs will be taken from the Baker Center Repair and Replacement Fund.The original food pantry that is located on the second floor of Baker was established in April 2017. Kilgour said the food pantry has been an overwhelming success, which has led to its expansion.Student Senate also voted to update the GPA requirement for Student Senate elections, with 32 senators voting in favor and eight in opposition.The former Rules and Procedures dictated that there be a GPA requirement of 2.0 in order to qualify for elections. The new requirements include a second GPA check during the spring semester in order to confirm that a candidate's GPA remains above 2.0Other Notable Happenings
- Vice President for Finance Administration Deb Shaffer addressed Student Senate to discuss the financial situation of Ohio U.
- Several budget approvals were passed, all of which pertained to the purchase of pizza.
- A vote to increase the amount of signatures required to run for Student Senate elections was tabled.
