The Student Senate held their final meeting of the semester at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 11. The meeting was full of energy, as it was full of goodbyes and new faces.
Mascot Coordinator Kyle May gave his first report not directed to the minutes. It was a heartfelt goodbye to the senate, as he resigned from his position later in the evening.
There was an update to resolution 67-R-8, that would introduce a bird garden to the side of Davies Student Center. The cost of the project wais reduced. Student Office of Sustainability Senate Director Sydney McGuine stated that this would save costs overall on the project.
She also discussed how the project would work to combine sustainability with American Indian studies, an interdisciplinary action.
The bill passed 28-0-2, and construction on the new gardens is set to begin in the spring.
Next, the senate turned to resolution 67-R-8 focusing on the segregated fees for the next school year. Finance Director Ben Johnson described the changes, displaying an increase in athletic fees after claiming that UW-Eau Claire has one of the lowest coaching salaries among Division III schools.
The biggest change is the addition of the Sonnentag Complex fee, which is expected to be $180 per student. Next year UW-Eau Claire will begin paying off the bond of the Sonnentag Complex, which will continue for the next 30 years.
Overall the fees increased by 17%, to a total of $1,746.82 per semester per student. The vote for this resolution passed 28-0-2.
The senate moved to appoint a new parliamentarian. Senator Luke Mandli presented his experience and goals for the role. He discussed his time in Model UN in high school and how he believes this will help him in the role.
Mandli said that parliamentarian should be a resource for all.
“He’s been a contributing member to senate, but you can tell he just kind of has fun with it. So it’s nice to have somebody with that energy be parliamentarian,” President Brett Farmer said about Mandli.
Concern over how Mandli would enforce rules came up, and Mandli said, “I genuinely think the only way to make people better is to call them out when they do something wrong.”
The senate then closed its doors to discuss the matter. The media, Dean of Students GregoryHienselman, and the unappointed senators waited in the hall alongside Mandli. They reentered to cheering, as Mandli had been elected to the position, and he took a seat at the front of the room next to personnel director Lily Eisele.
May and Senator Hannah Kelly resigned because they are graduating this semester.
Dylan Kraatz was nominated and appointed as mascot coordinator.
Nine new senators were sworn in: Tia Beirne, Ethan Brunke, Vicki Czap, Siena Emerson, Isabelle Hennis, Jonathan Hull, Chase Nelson, Maddie Podokinsky and Madi Shafman.
Farmer said he was looking forward to the diversity of perspectives from the full senate.
“We have several transfers, we have an international student who will be sworn in February, we have a veteran, a non-traditional student. We just have a lot of folks that I think we sometimes have a hard time reaching or bringing into senate,” Farmer said.
With a full house, the senate adjourned at 7:49 p.m. This was the final meeting for the semester, and they will not hold meetings during winterim. The next senate meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 29 in the Dakota Ballroom of Davies Student Center.
Leick can be reached at l[email protected].
