The ASUO’s rules require the Student Senate to meet monthly during the summer, but so far it has had little reason to do so.
At its June meeting, at least, the Senate made decisions. At its July meeting, held Tuesday, it didn’t even do that, beyond deciding to close the meeting and move along its schedule for discussions.
The Senate’s basic job is to allocate student fee money set aside for its activities, but no requests for use of that money found their way to the Senate in time to be discussed on Tuesday. The UO Sustainability Center did make such a request, but Sen. Harlan Mechling, the chairperson of the Senate for the summer, said he didn’t see it in time, because he was out of town.
Instead, senators discussed changes to the ASUO’s rules that will be instituted for the coming year, without its members feeling they could come to a decision on any of them. Among those changes are proposals to alter the way senators are paid for their work and the institution of a public comment period during Senate meetings.
Sam Chapman, a member of the campus group Students for Sensible Drug Policy, made a presentation seeking the Senate’s support for changes to campus disciplinary policies regarding drug and alcohol use. Chapman is seeking to eliminate the possibility that the UO will punish intoxicated students who seek help for those endangered by drug- and alcohol-related emergencies.
“Time in, time out, we’ve seen situations like that,” Chapman said.
But beyond discussing Chapman’s presentation, the rule changes, and what it intends to do, the Senate did little.
The atmosphere was casual. Two members of the summer Senate were absent, Sens. Kaitlyn Lange and Laura Hinman, while ASUO Vice President Katie Taylor showed up late. Lange has missed both of the Senate’s meetings this summer.
The Senate may, however, arrange a meeting to hear the request from the Sustainability Center. The date has yet to be set.