At the meeting of the 70th Student Senate on Wednesday, Senator Joshua Sweet was voted to the position of Community Relations Chair.
Academic Affairs Chair Tate Banks nominated Sweet to the position. In a speech on the Senate floor presenting his qualifications for the position, Sweet said he was seeking the office of Community Relations Chair because he wants to help people.
“I think one of my, I guess strengths of character, is just helping people,” Sweet said. “It’s just who I am, not just because I like helping people, but because I know every person brings worth, value and has impacts on other people’s lives.”
Sweet was unopposed and elected unanimously. Sweet said his main goals as Community Relations Chair would be to create a more streamlined flow of communication between the Student Government Association (SGA) and the governments of Bryan and College Station, and to leave behind a meaningful legacy in the organization.
“I’m not sure what kind of work has been done on this in the past, but I want to find out as fast as I can and create, or reopen, or mandate the current communication flow between this body and both the Bryan and College Station city councils,” Sweet said. “I want to make sure that our voices are being heard as students, but also that those in our community that aren’t necessarily students also have their voices heard.”
In addition to the election of the new Community Relations Chair, the meeting also resulted in the passage of two resolutions, relating to study abroad programs and the rules regarding university excused absences, respectively.
The first resolution, S.R. 70-14, was proposed by Banks and Jacob Powell, Senator of the College of Engineering. The legislation proposed changing study abroad rules to make it easier to study abroad in nations that have received a Level 2 State Department travel warning, including many nations which are U.S. allies. The resolution passed unanimously.
The second resolution, S.R. 70-15, was proposed by Banks, and expressed Student Senate’s continued support for changing Student Rule Seven, which currently prohibits university excused absences for students who are interviewing for jobs or internship positions. The resolution passed unanimously.
According to Banks, a resolution regarding potential changes to Student Rule Seven has passed the Student Senate in the past, but stalled in the Faculty Senate. Banks said his resolution reiterates Student Senate’s support for changes to the rule, but suggests that it would stand a better chance of passing at a later time.
“This resolution is basically saying we’re not giving up the fight,” Banks said. “This is something we’re still supporting, but in the best interest of actually getting this thing through, I think it’s best that we wait until next semester.”