The student legislative body of Union University joined together on Wednesday, April 17 for a student senate meeting with guest speaker Dr. Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver, president of Union University.
Elly Harshfield, junior and student senate chaplain, opened the night by sharing a sacrificial example of humble service from John 13:12-17. The verses tell the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.
“I really love this picture of leadership right before Jesus goes to the cross,” said Harshfield. “He is teaching the disciples how to be humble leaders before they are the head of the ministry. He teaches them to first see how they can serve their followers before they ask how their followers can serve them.”
Similar to the teachings in John, student senate is another place where student representatives have the opportunity to be humble servants and leaders like the disciples. Senate serves as an outlet for students who want to be a part of making a difference on campus by representing the members of an organization or a student class and voting on their behalf on the presented resolutions and bills. More specifically, the senate body is composed of two representatives from each active campus organization as well as the student body executive officers. Real changes that have largely impacted Union’s campus have taken place because of student senators’ legislation.
Following Harshfield’s remarks, Oliver addressed the student senate on the topic of finding positivity amidst a time of busyness. Oliver first explained that student senate is one of the many reasons students should give thanks and be positive.
“We are called to not be cynical or negative,” said Oliver. “Instead, find the good and praise it.”
He then went on to list other things that are positively impacting the campus, including the recent Debate Team IPDA National Championship win, the softball team ranking 9th in the region and Union hosting Karen Kingsbury as a speaker on campus for the Auxiliary Banquet.
At the Q&A portion of the night, Oliver was asked about the progress of the Master Plan and the update on the future of Hammons Hall. He expressed that he looks forward to the changes that are being discussed, which include building a new chapel to the east of White Hall, building another building to the west of White Hall, possibly extending the Great Lawn to the bypass and updating or getting rid of the Penick Academic Complex. Oliver could not give much information regarding Hammons Hall at the time but promised to update students as soon as the information is able to be given, but the building is currently leased to LifeWay through August of 2024.
Following Oliver’s remarks, a new organization, the Bass Fishing Club, was voted into student senate. The organization will teach students how to catch, release and take care of fish and keep ponds and lakes clean around Jackson, Tennessee. The organization’s advisor is Dr. Micah Fern, assistant professor of biology, and they are also partnering with local professional fishermen to mentor students. The vision of the organization is to eventually evolve into a competitive bass fishing team sponsored by the university.
After the new organization was added, the junior class presented a resolution asking that the damaged map wall in PAC C-6 be repaired and repainted. An amendment was made by the senior class to also paint other PAC classrooms with brighter colors. The amendment was added, and the resolution passed.
The sophomore class then presented a resolution to add the option of pre-ordering food for pickup at The Lex. This resolution was created to benefit students in a hurry who want to check out quickly and avoid waiting for food. A few questions were asked to clarify the details of the resolution. It passed with overwhelming support after College Republicans senator Madeline Fleming humorously said, “I know you all love mobile ordering. You do it every day at Chick-Fil-A. This is a great idea, and you will love it.”
The final resolution of the evening was to extend the checkout deadline at the end of each semester to twenty-four hours after each student’s final exam is complete. This legislation would benefit students with afternoon exams who afterwards have to pack up their belongings and then travel. The resolution passed without debate.
The Student Activities Council announced that the annual movie on the lawn will be on May 10 and that the movie is yet to be determined. BIOME announced the Anatomy of the Crucifixion lecture by Dr. Huggins on April 18 at 6 p.m. MOSAIC followed that with the announcement of their Cinco de Mayo party on May 4, and the Bike Recycling Club announced that there will be a Lifeline blood drive on campus on April 24 from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. A free t-shirt will be provided for people participating in the blood drive.
After the announcements, a motion to recess was brought forward and passed, concluding the student senate session.
The final student senate session of the semester will be on May 5. For more information about the Student Government Association or Student Senate, visit https://www.uu.edu/studentlife/sga/.
