ASWSU heard from several guest speakers Wednesday night. The Environmental Sustainability Alliance and the International Student Council spoke to the Senate about upcoming celebrations.
The ESA has been working with Senate Pro Tempore and All-Campus Senator Anusha Bose to create a resolution regarding Ruby Street Park.
“Currently, even with the park being close to campus, it’s not designed as an engaging space due to there not being engagement opportunities for the student population,” Bose said.
Bose has been working with several committees to make Ruby Street Park more inviting for students. A task force would see more accountability regarding those ideas being followed through, Bose said.
“It’s being underutilized …We want it to be something that students can engage with and utilize, especially [as it is] in a central location,” ESA Chair Alyx Herring said.
Ideas include gathering opinions on adding new infrastructure and advertising strategies to make the park more accessible for students.
Earth Week celebrations will commence on April 15. ESA has partnered with the School of Music to hold concerts at Bryan Hall and the Atrium on April 15 and 19. The alliance is also working with the English department to re-write some sonnets that will be performed at the event.
The rest of the festivities will take place throughout the following week, kicking off April 20.
A stream cleaning, zero-waste challenge and “bring your own cup” campaign, birding tour, nature walk, Pizza for the Planet and a sustainable menstrual workshop with the Women*s Center are among the events planned.
“Think of it as the Get Involved Fair but Earth-esque. There will be a sustainable clothes swapping on the mall, we’re going to encourage [fundraisers and] different registered student organizations will be coming out for demonstrations,” Herring said.
A spring fling commences April 25. The week ends with a campus-wide cleanup.
“We are trying to partner with the Center for Civic Engagement to get students credit hours for it,” Herring said.
International Week is held on the first week of April each year. This year, the ISC has held several events, including a faculty sharing night, a Global Grooves event and a Desserts Around the World event.
International Cuisine Week, another planned celebration had to be delayed. It will now start next week.
“This is basically a partnership with the dining halls around campus. They’re going to offer a special menu for this week,” Giacomann said. “Each day you’re going to have different cuisines in the different dining halls. For example, in Northside they’re going to have Bibimbap, food from Spain, Mexico [and] different continents.”
Multicultural Night is happening Friday night in the Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center from 5–7 p.m.
“All of our events are free, they are open to anyone. That can be faculty, staff, scholars, dependents – anyone,” Giacomann said.
Towards the end of the meeting, the ASWSU Senate voted on five resolutions and four bills. Each resolution and bill were passed unanimously. The resolutions included a recognition of the inductions of the Carson College of Business Dean and the implementation of a task force to oversee Ruby Street Park, making it more accessible for student use.
Resolutions also included a call for support of basic needs of students, such as mental health facilities, joining the national Audubon Society’s “Lights Out” Program, which helps with bird migration and light pollution, and a call for increased awareness of research opportunities in the Honors College.
The four bills passed were updates to ASWSU bylaws, updates to pay and working hours for the Senate, updates on committee rules and updates on voting and elections in regulation with state law.
