At its weekly meeting Wednesday evening, the University of Michigan’s LSA Student Government confirmed six appointed representatives and officially added ten members to the Budget Allocations Committee.
Appointments Committee Chair Kevan Casson, an LSA sophomore, welcomed the new members and urged them to reach out with questions.
“I really want to be a resource for you,” Casson said.
Casson also said going forward, the Appointment Committee plans to “taper down” its recruitment of new representatives.
Two new resolutions were passed during the meeting. The first, sponsored by Counsel Nathan Wilson, an LSA junior, passed 29 to 0 with no abstentions. The bill is an amendment to the ninth, 18th and 19th chapters of LSA SG bylaws and redefines the responsibilities of the election director. The resolution also establishes a payment plan for the election director, stating “monetary incentives can be effective in encouraging the election director to go above and beyond their basic obligations.”
The second resolution, an amendment to make all events hosted by LSA SG zero-waste, passed 30 to 0 with no abstentions. Sponsor Josie Gilmore, an LSA sophomore, who serves on the Taking Responsibility for the Earth and Environment Subcommittee, said the resolution is meant to “inspire people to make… all their events zero-waste.”
“If you hold an event that could be zero-waste, but is not zero-waste, you’re not guaranteed to get refunded for it,” Gilmore said.
LSA SG members also discussed current initiatives. LSA SG President Nicholas Fadanelli, an LSA senior, updated the assembly on the progress of two major resolutions: One outlining the 2020-2021 academic calendar and another establishing Election Day as an academic holiday. Fadanelli noted the resolutions still need approval from University administration.
LSA SG Vice President Ryan Gillcrist, an LSA senior, encouraged other LSA SG representatives to get involved with the al-Kitaab project, an initiative to replace an Arabic textbook used by the University that some students consider insensitive and colonialist. Gillcrist made a particular appeal to representatives with experience in Arabic studies.
The LSA SG committees, subcommittees and task forces provided other updates and announcements. No guest speakers presented at this week’s meeting.
Before the meeting adjourned, Wilson reminded the assembled representatives to stay informed about Michigan State University’s administrative upheaval. Former MSU President Lou Anna Simon, who resigned Jan. 24 after being accused of enabling sexual abuser Larry Nassar, was recently replaced by interim president John Engler.
According to Wilson, Engler was “one of the first governors in Michigan to decrease higher education state appropriations … a lot of people are upset about it.”
Wilson asked LSA SG to pay attention to the controversy.
“I’m sure a lot of you know people that go to Michigan State,” Wilson said. “So … I think it’s good if we all keep up to date and if we can help to inform our fellow students about what’s going on at other Big Ten universities.”