Only a few items remain on the agenda for this year’s ASUO Senate. Senate’s May 13 meeting mostly focused on tying up loose ends: transfers within groups, over-realized fund discussion and resolutions.
Special requests took a relative backseat to the public forum, as the room was packed with members of groups that turned out in force to lobby for portions of the over-realized fund. Speakers each got five minutes each to speak. Among the recommendations for the over-realized fund was money for new rowing machines for the UO Rowing Team, $40,000 for free HIV testing for students, and $150,000 for a trans conference with keynote speakers and various other opportunities.
Senate will not vote on any of the over-realized recommendations until next week’s meeting.
Most of the special requests were transfers within groups, with a couple of returns of funds to surplus. The UO Motorcycle Club and the Taiwanese Student Association were the only groups to request funds. The surplus ended up with more money than it had before the meeting, $20,939.79.
Senate also passed a resolution presented by Senate ombudsperson Sammy Cohen. The resolution reads that the ASUO condemns changes to the wording of university policy regarding confidentiality of student counseling records. It also condemns the University Counseling and Testing Center’s release of the counseling records of Jane Doe, a student who was allegedly raped by three men’s basketball players in March 2014.
Discussion of the ASUO Constitution Court’s decision that it should not be mandatory for incidental-fee funded events to be held in facilities that have gender inclusive bathrooms continued at the Senate meeting. ASUO Con. Court Chief Justice, Allison Apana, stood up to introduce the next Chief Justice Tom Bush, several students were seen standing in the audience with their backs towards the senate.
“I think that 16 CC is a really lazy and bigoted decision,” said Elle Mallon, one of the audience members who stood. “And that the Chief Justice who oversaw it doesn’t deserve our recognition”
At the end of the meeting, the ASUO senators discussed how to move forward with the letter that was presented to them last week. The letter called for senate to sign a letter to be sent to the Office of Affirmative Action, to condemn the Con. Court decision regarding gender-inclusive bathrooms at I-fee funded events.  There was even discussion on a possible construction of a resolution in response to the decision. Resolutions, such as this one, would be non-binding, and would serve as an official recommendation by the senate for action.
Senate meetings are 7 p.m. in the EMU Walnut Room. For more information about the ASUO, visit its website.