Student Senate passed a resolution in support of a programming plan for The Hub, the new outreach space that took over Sushi Do at the beginning of the academic year.

The resolution, introduced by Communications Director Amanda Thao, outlines a plan to provide resources in The Hub and establish weekly themes, where each day is assigned a theme.

Thao said the plan isn’t yet finalized and expects it to change during winter break and through next semester.

Senator Alejandra Estrada praised Thao’s dedication to devising an agenda for the newly adopted space and passion for making it more comfortable for students.

“… I think it will be a good reflection of Student Senate on the campus and make us more accessible to all students and the resources that they pay for,” Estrada said. “They should be taken advantage of.”

The resolution passed in a voice vote.

Senate also passed a resolution in support of Tree Campus USA certification, a program administered by the Arbor Day Foundation that accredits two- and four-year universities committed to sustainability on their campuses to a national registry.

“Overall this works towards our campus climate action plan that we’re moving towards,” said Kristina Haideman, the student office of sustainability director.

Tree Campus USA encourages maintenance of “green spaces” on campus, which is space for students and the community to relax outside, Haideman said. Green spaces also help eliminate campus emissions.

Upon receipt of the certification, campuses are required to allocate funds to maintain the campus tree program. The Tree Campus USA standards recommend a $3 fee per full-time student per year. However, because the program would be new to UW-Eau Claire, Haideman said there’s a possibility of matching a proposed $1 fee with Facilities Planning & Management.

The fee wouldn’t raise segregated fees; instead it would be embedded in the existing Green Fund budget, Haideman said. Because it is only a resolution, Haideman said they want to see if there is student support toward it before moving forward. The SOS commission and Facilities Planning & Management would team up to pay the expenditures.

Senator Austin Northagen supported the resolution because he thought it reflected the SOS commission’s vision for the UW-Eau Claire campus.

“Additionally that many other campuses around Wisconsin have this certification including the CVTC, so I feel it is the appropriate use of the Student Office of Sustainability to get this certification to move in that direction,” Northagen said.

Haideman echoed Northagen’s thoughts, agreeing that the resolution “really is the vision for the commission.”

“In years previous to this, we’ve supported Facilities through different various projects concerning green spaces and accessibility to students, so I think this aligns nicely with that,” Haideman said.

The resolution passed in a voice vote.

Other news

Senate approved four new organizations:

–       Iota Tau Alpha-Beta Alpha Chapter

–       UWEC Trumpet Club

–       Graphic Communication Design Club

–       Concert Choir