On Wednesday evening, Speaker Pro-Tempore of the Senate Tate Banks presented a letter the Student Senate received from former President George W. Bush thanking the senate for the resolution they passed during the Jan. 23 session honoring his late father, George H.W. Bush.
Banks said, “[George H.W. Bush] did a lot for this university and community, so we wrote that [resolution] and I thought that was going to be the end of it. It was very surprising when I see this manilla envelope with his personal seal on it… It’s one of the coolest thing to happen to Student Senate since I’ve been here.”
President Bush wrote, “George H.W. Bush was a great man, a great father and a great President. He showed us how to make the most of every minute of every day and serve a cause greater than self. To us, his was the brightest of a thousand points of light. We give thanks to God for George H.W. Bush and for the many Aggies who have prayed for him and us. Gig ‘em!”
The Student Senate also passed four pieces of legislation and swore in 14 new senators, elected in the February Student Body Elections, to fill vacancies in the Senate.
Student Services Chair Ashali Chimata presented a resolution expressing the Student Senate’s support for a pilot program to provide biodegradable, organic and chemical-free menstrual products in restrooms across campus. The pilot program will place free products in the MSC, the psychology building, Langford, Blocker, Wehner, Evans Library, West Campus Library and the community area in the Commons. The Student Senate overwhelmingly passed the resolution.
“To me, it’s a matter of equal access to one’s education,” Chimata said. “But it’s not just equal access to your academics. It’s also to campus life and to leadership opportunities.”
The Equitable Funding Resolution calls on the Texas Legislature to increase the research funding given to Texas A&M so that it equals the per-student funding given to the University of Texas. According to the Resolution, “Appropriation recommendations made in the 86th legislative session of the Texas Legislature is approximately $850 less per Texas A&M University student, relative to per student funding at the University of Texas.” Currently, Texas A&M’s undergraduate class is roughly 20 percent larger than the University of Texas’s undergraduate class.
The Student Senate passed a resolution thanking all parties involved in pushing for amendments to Student Rule 7, which, if fully passed, will expand the definition of a university-excused absence.
The Student Senate also passed a Constituency Affairs Reform Bill to consolidate caucus leaders and the Committee of Constituency Affairs. Leaders of caucuses with three or more members will automatically be assigned to the Committee.
“What we would like to do is unify caucus leaders with the Constituency Affairs Committee so we can improve accountability and focus within student outreach,” said bill author and Constituency Affairs Chair Colten Mandel.