Wednesday evening, the Student Senate met to discuss new bills, vote on a senator resignation and address an anonymous comment referring to sexism within the organization.

During the meeting, Student Body Vice President Mia Connell, a third-year studying political science, announced that she wanted to re-mandate the Every Choice Consent Education program and encourage student senators to take the training.

“It was promised to the students,” Connell said. “Twenty-five percent of our Executive Council has already done training.”

Elections for the 98th Student Government session will begin next week and there are final interviews to be conducted on senators’ legacies.

A unanimous vote confirmed the resignation of Sen. Mikey Ibrahim, a third-year studying finance representing the Poole College of Management.

A few bills were read for the first time, such as the Senate Diversity Training Act, the Compost Support Act, and the Gender Inclusive Student Government Documents Act. All that were read for the first time were sent to oversight committees for their review with the exception of Bill 80, the Gender Inclusive Student Government Documents Act.

Seconded by Sen. Zac Lentz, a graduate student studying biological and agricultural engineering, Bill 80 was unanimously fast-tracked, indicating that it will be considered at the second reading.

As for bills being read for the second time, The Personnel Committee Update Act intends to amend the Personnel Committee.

“It’s a committee where over the past couple of years has fallen out of our institutional memory,” said. Senator James Withrow*, a graduate student majoring in entomology. “We’ve stopped doing it, but hopefully this will change. Hopefully this will be a great tool for student leadership to use.”

The Gender Inclusive Student Government Documents Act was read for a second time.

“This is a fairly straight forward bill,” said Sen. Case Cody, a fourth-year studying business administration and political science. “I think it’s important that it is coming from a non-gender-binary individual like myself. If you look at the student body government document, it’s clumsy how it’s riddled with ‘he’ and ‘she’ and it is less inclusive to those who don’t identify in this binary so I was putting this bill forward to make changes to the bill.”

Cody moved to fast track it for a referendum so that it could change student body documents. Sen. Coleman Simpson, a fourth-year studying agricultural education and political science, inquired if there will be any follow-up bills for the statue, to which Student Senate President Mitchell Moravec, a fifth-year studying materials science and engineering and psychology, clarified that there would be.   

Student Senate President Pro Tempore Adam Schmidt, a second-year studying civil engineering, supported the idea.

“We’re about to make a change to all of our governing documents,” Schmidt said. “I think this is something small, but it’s useful toward the idea of us being more inclusive as an organization.”  

The bill passed with a two-thirds vote from the Senate.

Moravec announced that there are two College of Design representatives and one Poole College of Management representative seats available.

Moravec also made a formal apology to the women of the Senate as he addressed an anonymous comment referencing sexism.

“To the women and other female-identifying individuals of this organization, I have failed you,” Moravec said. “I have perpetuated and been complicit allowing a norm of sexist jokes, comments and actions that have not been inviting nor inclusive to allowing you all to feel comfortable in this environment.”

Moravec said he hopes to address these concerns in the future.

“As I move forward, I want to be better in empowering your presence in Student Government,” Moravec said. “If you are comfortable with practicing accountability in your leadership and peers, I invite you to reach out to me so I can hear your concerns and do the work required”

The next Student Senate meeting will be held Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in room 4140 Talley Student Union.

*Editor’s note: this quote has been properly attributed to James Withrow.