Student Senate passed three resolutions on Monday in support of the Spring Legislative Priority Summary, a full-time employee in the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center and the bikeshare ordinance.

Spring Legislative Priority Summary

Senate passed a resolution in support of the spring Legislative Priority Summary. This semester’s legislative priority summary was narrower than last semester’s to be more focused, Intergovernmental Affairs Director Charlie Johnson said.

Campus initiatives include advocating for EDI goals and mental health resources on campus. For city initiatives, goals include engaging students in local elections, improving neighborhood relations and supporting the creation of the Sonnentag Event and Recreation Complex.

On the state level, initiatives include acquiring funds for a new science building, advocating for student loan refinancing and funding to the UW System.

“I do like how this Legislative Priority Summary is narrowed down,” Senator Carter Rush said. “All of these things are things that are constantly brought up in IGA, so I think it’s better to direct our focus to fewer things rather than spreading it out too thin.”

Full-time Employee Position in the GSRC

Senate passed a resolution in support of adding a full-time position in the GSRC. Currently, there are no full-time employees, Vice President Maddie Forrest said. Other departments that serve underrepresented populations have at least one full-time position.

“The GSRC already does a lot of work, so having an extra person there to be there full-time to do this work is so important,” Senator Kenzie Mevis said. “Eau Claire already serves as a LGBTQ-friendly school, and that’s so amazing.”

Bikeshare Ordinance

Senate passed a resolution in support of the bikeshare ordinance. The proposed bikeshare program would bring another mode of transportation for students and community members in Eau Claire.

The program has been several years in the making and will be voted on by the City Council next Tuesday.

Senator Lauren Becker spoke in support of the bill and said the bikeshare would increase ease of access around campus.

“I’m really pleased to see this come to fruition, and I’m thankful for all the hard work of our SOS commission,” Becker said. “In addition, it speaks to our community’s collaboration with the university, and I’m incredibly pleased to see how often we’ve been able to closely work to make this ordinance happen and how involved our student leadership has been.”

Other news:

A bill to amend the Student Senate bylaws was introduced. It will be voted on next week.

Houterman can be reached at [email protected].