The Student Senate meeting began with an update from Sustainability Coordinator Lily Strehlow on the short-term summer housing plan. This is an option for any student looking for housing between May 19 and June 10, which is often referred to as “homeless week” as it is the time between when leases end in the spring and before they begin in the summer. 

Strehlow said housing is provided in Murray Hall in single occupancy rooms. Students will be charged $17.50 per night, and all of this is done through the housing portal. Priority Deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 26.

Information Technology Commission Director Drew Morehouse gave a presentation on the commission budget for the 2024-25 academic year. In total, ITC had over $50,000 to spend and had five applications for this year. 

The first initiative was to place security cameras in Upper Campus parking lots, following the senate resolution passed by Academic Affairs Director Colin Rafter. The project will receive $36,000 and will place 2 cameras in A Lot, 3 in B Lot and 5-6 in the Towers R Lot. 

The next projects all pertained to McIntyre Library and an overall expansion of the Makerspace. There will be a new projector and screen for a presentation area in the basement, which costs $7,500. In addition, a sublimation printer and heat press will be purchased for the Makerspace, allowing students and staff to put images on T-shirts, mugs and other arts and crafts projects.

“There’s a lot of library resources that just need to be revamped, and I think it’ll be really cool to see [what] will then come to fruition,” Vice President Sam Consiglio said. 

Senator Avery DeRuyter reintroduced 67-B-8, “Creation of a Health and Wellness Commission.” This bill would create the official 10th commission of the senate after a committee was created in February. 

The initiative was introduced following the assimilation of the new bylaws last week, and will officially write the new commission into the new bylaws.

“I’m so glad that we had Avery and Caitlin and everybody in the committee and all the people that initially nominated themselves to be on the committee,” President Brett Farmer said. “We couldn’t have done it, especially without [them].”

The bylaws of the commission improve upon the original legislation, including 12 departments, compared to the original four included in the draft. 

The bill passed 30-0-2, and a new commissioner will be included in the next session. 

Student Office of Sustainability Director Sydney McGuine introduced 67-B-9, “Allocating Funding for Compost Bins for Oak Ridge and Bridgeman Composting. 

This would be the second composting initiative on Upper Campus, following a project started last fall by SOS. The commission placed compost bins in The Suites kitchens, and McGuine said the initiative was successful. The bill if passed would place one bin in each building, and the two were chosen due to their proximity to suites. 

“It’s a little trial run, you know, which is nice because I think that’s been the fear, especially the Upper Campus is people like ‘oh, we got to launch it in every res hall or nothing,’” Consiglio said. “I’m glad they’re testing the water and going to see what works best for them. I think it’s really smart.”

The bill will be reintroduced during the next senate meeting at 6 p.m. on April 15 in the Dakota Ballroom in Davies Student Center.

Leick can be reached at [email protected].