April 28, 2015

By Dun Li

Eight student government organizations participated in a joint session April 21.

Missouri Students Association, Graduate Professional Council, Residence Halls Association, Legion of Black Collegians, Panhellenic Association, Interfraternity Council, Four Front and Missouri International Student Council all gathered in Strickland Hall.

The session began with a speech given by the new Title IX administrator, Ellen Eardley.

Eardley talked about her new roles in education, prevention and insurance in terms of her work on campus; she said that she looks forward to working with student leaders present in the audience as well as others to help foster a safer campus.
Six legislation bills were presented, discussed and voted on in the joint session.

Bill SS15-01, proposed by RHA, aims to create a calendar that is accessible to members of the joint session, MU faculty and student body in order to increase communication and collaboration. The voting on this bill rendered a tie, which was later broken by the volunteering chair of the joint session in favor of passing.

Bill SS15-02, proposed by GPC, intends to garner support for open access and open educational resources for free scholarly publications, textbooks and learning materials for students and faculty, to remove cost barriers and research restrictions imposed on the academic community and general public. The bill was passed unanimously.

Bill SS15-03, proposed by MSA, aims to garner support for the established referendum on a library student fee. MU Libraries Director of Development Matt Gaunt spoke in favor of SS15-03, stressing the importance of holding MU to the high standard of Association of American Universities by providing support for the development of the library. Voting on the bill was a tie. The presenting chair broke the tie by voting to pass the bill.

Bill SS15-04, proposed by IFC, intends to establish a mandatory meeting between presidents of the respective student governments of MU twice a semester; the purpose of this bill is to increase transparency and communication between bodies. The bill passed.

Bill SS15-05, proposed by MSA, aims to establish an Honor Code within MU; Senator Abby Ivory-Ganja, who spearheaded the bill, said that it would fill the absence of a clear and established Honor Code. She said the Honor Code would focus on core values and academic integrity of the school. The bill did not pass.

Bill SS15-06, proposed by MSA, intends to issue a statement to support Eardley as the new Title IX administrator in her future endeavors. The bill passed unanimously.