ASUI passes two resolutions, begins spring semester
The ASUI Senate only has two sessions under its belt for the spring semester, but its members are not wasting any time.
Nathan Romans | Argonaut
ASUI senators Eric Alvarez, left, and Cruz Botello participate in the second ASUI Senate meeting of the semester Wednesday in the Whitewater room in the Idaho Commons. Alvarez said he supports a diversity inclusivity resolution.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the senate kicked off the legislative season with resolutions addressing diversity inclusivity and secular meditation.
Alejandra Gonzalez, ASUI director of diversity affairs, said she originally saw the need for a diversity inclusivity statement last year when she was a senator. She and Katharine Wongmankitkan, a former senator who graduated in December, drafted a resolution asking for an inclusivity statement.
“It’s important as a university to strive to have an inclusive community,” Gonzalez said. “I was very happy when they came to me with the statement … it’s a living document that will be changing throughout the years to become more inclusive and more diverse, and I’m very happy with the way the document is right now and I’m very glad ASUI supported it.”
The resolution was welcomed by the senators and passed unanimously.
ASUI Sen. Eric Alvarez, who sponsored the resolution, said he’s mostly focused on advocacy for students with disabilities in the past, but saw the resolution as an opportunity to go above and beyond.
“As a senator, it’s my job to support diversity here on campus, but we want to go beyond one simple diverse group,” Alvarez said. “We want to touch on gender, sex, culture. So when (Gonzalez) brought this resolution to my attention, I was all for it because that’s what we want to support and we feel like it’s increasing at a faster pace than it has been in a very long time.”
Senators also partook in a discussion about secular meditation on campus. The resolution, S15-02, was former ASUI Sen. Carlie Beasley’s last resolution before she left the senate.
The resolution supported UI Psychology professor Jamie Derrick, who wants to teach free, weekly meditation classes on campus. Beasley said it’s been difficult for Derrick to find a large-enough space for the prospective class.
At about the same time Beasley drafted the resolution last semester, Derrick received permission to use a room in the Niccolls Building from 12-12:25 p.m. on Wednesdays. Beasley said the resolution is still relevant, because she hopes Derrick will be considered every semester when rooms are designated for classes.
“Meditation is about being mindful and being present,” Beasley said. “Being present helps your studies, your life view, and your outcome, so I said to (Derrick), ‘Why don’t we work together to get student support?'”
Though the resolution didn’t specify how many students would be interested in the sessions, Beasley said many of the students she spoke to liked the idea.
ASUI Sen. Zoe Ball sponsored the bill, because she also knew students who would be interested in giving their mind a small break among a busy schedule.
“Everyone’s stressed out,” Ball said. “It would be nice to learn to deal with that stress in an effective way, and Dr. Derrick is a professional.”
Hannah Shirley can be reached at [email protected]