In response to cuts to retention counselors in Multicultural Student Services, ASWSU approved a resolution calling on university administration to hire more faculty from diverse backgrounds.

Uncertified Senator Leonard Covarrubias spoke in support of the resolution, and said it was in response to strong recommendations by student groups.

“With everything that is going on with the budget,” Covarrubias said. “It is our responsibility to have these tough conversations and really put ourselves out there and side with the students.”

With an increase in multicultural students on campus, Covarrubias said that these issues are significant to the WSU community.

He said the resolution would hold the university accountable for unkept promises made to student groups, as well as motivate the university to hire more faculty and staff members to reflect underrepresented groups on campus.

Ruth Fiam Nord, the College of Arts and Science senator, disagreed with the portion of the resolution that encouraged WSU to employ more faculty and staff of color.

“Asking them to hire faculty based on color, that’s not fair.” Nord said.

Nord said she sees the resolution as a request for administrators to discriminate against incoming staff members, which would ignore qualities they could bring to the university.

Although she did not agree with the faculty hiring section, she did support the rest of the resolution.

All Campus Senator, Courtney Crouch said that the resolution would create a more inviting student environment.

Crouch said that diverse faculty would help students learn, as they would feel more at home as well as better able to identify with their teachers and mentors.

“If students don’t see people that they can look up to, people that they can see that look like them,” Crouch said. “[It might be] harder for them to advance.”

The senate approved two additional bills.

The first bill included assigning an officer from each ASWSU committee to report directly back to the senate to provide better communication between senators and the committees.

The second bill required all senators to submit a list of their roles within registered student organizations on campus, to ensure ASWSU members are in line with the student code of ethics.