Union’s SGA Senate held its regular meeting Wednesday night, March 24, at 9:30 p.m. in the G.M. Savage Memorial Chapel. Senate passed two bills and two resolutions, including a resolution asking Union University to reverse the rule that requires the wearing of masks.
The resolution, under the title “Free the Smile Resolution,” requested the university administration to lift the campus mask mandate on March 31 alongside the Jackson Madison County mandate expiration date.
Before Senate convened, Grant Gammon, SGA Executive President and senior business management major, addressed the goals and achievements of the executive office in a first-time state of the union speech. He highlighted the establishment of a constitutional committee that is preparing amendments to be presented at the end of the spring semester. The committee is also preparing to present a new budget allocation process.
“Senate is the place for the student body to make their voices heard,” said Gammon. “We desire to hear your concerns or ideas in order to communicate with Union’s faculty, staff and broader administration. Whether it’s class councils or student senate, real change can be implemented across our campus.”
In preparation for a vote on the “Free the Smile Resolution,” co-sponsors Addison Coleman and Jake Guyette conducted a randomized poll of 100 students for the resolution. The poll concluded with 89 in favor and 11 against. The pair also collected 401 signatures in support before the Senate vote, along with three more signatures following the vote.
There was much debate on the resolution. Nineteen senators and officers spoke on the issue throughout the meeting. One amendment, introduced by Peter Holmquist, was passed, allowing professors to elect to require masks in classrooms and offices.
A second amendment, introduced by Matthew Latham, sought to delay the mandate lift until two weeks after spring break. The chair after SGA attorney general Ethan Voss, a freshman broadcast journalism major, stated that the amendment language was not compatible with the resolution title.
“My concern with the amendment was that it was not formulated,” said Voss. “There needs to be a greater understanding by Senate of the rules and parliamentary procedure.”
The resolution vote was close. Upon the first count, executive vice president Savannah Garner deliberated with Voss and vice president of administration Samuel Eudy on whether a secondary roll call vote was needed. The officers determined that the in-person votes combined with votes from three online attendees provided a large enough margin for Senate to pass the resolution. The chair did not announce the vote tallies.
“I’d like to thank the 404 students who made this happen,” said Coleman, a sophomore accounting and exercise science major. “It shows that the student body believes in this. The people believe in this. The people feel safe.”
Before the mask resolution, bill 200-8 allocated $200 to the Black Student Union for an April event co-sponsored with MOSAIC. Debate on the bill was brief. One senator asked the sponsors about the event details, and MOSAIC senator Will Lewis spoke in support. The bill was passed.
Senate passed bill 200-9, which allocated $200 to TORCH to provide for printing costs.
Senate passed resolution 200-10 titled “Summer Storage Resolution of 2021,” which asked Union University to provide storage space for students over the summer.
Passed resolutions will go through the regular process of a presentation to the university administration. Ambassador Steve Williams will present the legislation to the dean of students Bryan Carrier. It will be presented to the university executive council.
SGA Senate will convene next on April 14 at 9:30 p.m.
