Resolution 29, entitled “A resolution to be entitled an act to promote peace and human rights by advocating for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, condemning hate speech, and enhancing educational resources on Palestine and Israel,” failed a motion to fast-track in Student Senate on Wednesday. During the meeting, concerns were raised by resolution sponsors about an undisclosed meeting that took place in 111 Lampe Drive on Tuesday. 

Because the motion to fast-track failed, the Senate will now vote on the resolution during a second reading in August after it receives a committee reading from the Standing Committee on Student Affairs.

Naila Din, a second-year studying microbiology and corresponding sponsor of R 29, sent a formal notification of intent to fast-track the resolution on Monday. A first reading of the legislation was heard at the Student Senate meeting on Wednesday.

During the Student Senate meeting, Aisha Abdul Aleem, a third-year studying political science and sponsor of R 29, said an undisclosed meeting was held by Taquan Dewberry, a first-year studying computer science and philosophy and Student Senate Pro Tempore, in which R 29 was discussed.

Technician independently confirmed the meeting was held by Dewberry on Tuesday, in which R 29 was discussed.

“There was an undisclosed meeting taken place last night hosted by our Pro Temp, Taquan Dewberry, in which he misled a hand-selected number of senators to believe it was a, quote, ‘Senator Preparation Meeting,’” Abdul Aleem said. “Instead of educating the senators in attendance about his five legislations on the floor, he decided to make R 29 … their only point of discussion, without the knowledge of the corresponding senator.”

Abdul Aleem said the number of senators present amounted to over one-third of the total Senate and said  Dewberry could have persuaded senators to vote against the fast-tracking of R 29.

Dewberry said the meeting was held to inform new senators and those unfamiliar with the fast-track process about their rights as senators.

“I had heard there were concerns for student comfort and safety and the ability for everybody to speak openly about this meeting on the Senate floor,” Dewberry said. “And I wanted to ensure that everybody knew about their rights to a fast-track, and what that meant, and their rights to consider a motion en bloc and what that meant, because those are complex topics.”

During the senate meeting, Din said Jon Carter, a first-year studying accounting and Student Senate Secretary, said during the Tuesday meeting that the goal was to not fast-track R 29. 

“Your goal, that you clearly stated to the senators, is to not fast-track these bills, but fast-track Taquan’s others,” Din said. 

Carter declined to comment. 

Din did not receive an invitation to the Tuesday meeting but attended with Jamal Mohamad, a fourth-year studying business administration, president of the Arab Student Organization and a signatory of R 29, after she was informed about this meeting by a senator who was in attendance. 

Shatha Boaj, a fourth-year studying political science and sponsor of R 29, said Caroline Miranda, a third-year studying physics and Student Senate President, was aware of this meeting and participated through a phone call after the arrival of Din and Mohamad. 

“For our Senate President Caroline Miranda to know about this undisclosed meeting, to acknowledge that they did not invite all of the senators, and to participate on a call within this meeting as soon as the ASO President Jamal Mohamad and Senator Naila Din walked into the meeting,” Boaj said. “These inappropriate actions are an abuse of power of the high authority of student government and should not be taken lightly.”

Miranda said though they were aware of the meeting, they were not knowledgeable of its intentions and were asked to be on a phone call when the meeting was thought to have become more contentious.

“While I was aware of the fact that this meeting was occurring, I was not in any way, shape or form understanding and knowledgeable of what the intentions were other than, again, for the education of senators, in terms of how to use motions en bloc and fast-track,” Miranda said.

Dewberry said the meeting was open to all and Din and Mohamad were given the chance to express their views when they arrived. 

Technician independently confirmed only 22 senators, including Dewberry, were invited to the Tuesday meeting.

“I was happy that they were able to still voice their opinions, and that the senators were able to still hear what they had to say,” Dewberry said. “And I do recognize that there may have been better ways of ensuring that that could have been done on all sides. But that’s also why bills go to committee.”

Miranda said though the motion to fast-track failed, R 29 has not. The resolution will go to the Standing Committee for Student Affairs for a reading before returning to the Senate for a second reading.

“The bill is not dead in any sense of the word, it’s still a work in progress,” Miranda said.

Mohamad said Miranda chose to side with the University rather than the students on this matter, influencing the decisions of Dewberry and pushing for the motion to fast-track to fail.

“There’s two sides, the students and the University, and they went to the side of the University,” Mohamad said. “… which led them to force upon their biases upon Taquan and other senators, causing their plan to not fast-track it to be in full motion.”

Din said Dewberry and Carter pushed during the meeting on Tuesday to not allow R 29 to fast-track in favor of sending it to committee.

“Both Senator Dewberry and Senator Carter pushed at this meeting to have more nays than ayes and ensure it was sent to committee,” Din said. 

Din said Dewberry intends to oppose R 29 in committee discussions as well. 

Dewberry said R 29 is a complex issue and his reasoning for voting against the fast-tracking of this bill was rooted in wanting a committee review that would allow for more thorough discussions on this issue.

“I believe … all student organizations are fully within their rights to call for it, and had I not been student government, probably would have been calling for it myself,” Dewberry said. “… I believed that it should have been sent to committee for further review, specifically as other people cited in the meeting, so that we can have more conversations and get even more people involved in those conversations.”

R 29 will be reviewed by the Committee for Student Affairs in August when the Senate session resumes.