ASG discusses DEI, student organization funding and the Democracy Bus

Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) heard updates from the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Treasury committees, learned about the Democracy Bus and participated in DEI training at its weekly meeting on Oct. 31.

Mollie Duffy, a junior public administration major and representative from Wilks Institute for Leadership and Service, spoke with ASG about the upcoming Democracy Bus. Transportation for early voting will be provided from Armstrong Student Center to the Butler County Board of Elections on Nov. 4 at 10:30 a.m. She urged senators to spread the word and sign up for registration.

Senator Daniel Martin spoke with King Library regarding a student concern for extended library hours. He said at the moment there is no plan to complete this request.

Secretary of On-Campus Affairs Grace Payne responded to a student concern about dining hall hours. She spoke with an Aramark representative about keeping dining halls open throughout the day, rather than closing for short periods of time. Aramark said it will look into the concern. Payne also discussed on-campus food quality.

“If you are not happy with your food, please feel free to ask [dining workers] to remake it,” Payne said. “I know that you're probably afraid of being a ‘Karen’ or whatever, but you pay good money for this food.”

Secretary of the Treasury Venus Harvey gave an update on student organization funding following the change in funding process that started this semester. The average email response time for ASG funding requests is 10 minutes.

Harvey also reported a $100,000 decrease in student organization funding, saying that about $392,000 was given during fall semester of 2022 compared to only about $290,000 given out during this semester.

“Student orgs are spending more responsibly,” Harvey said. “So they're just requesting less overall, which is good. That's what we want.”

Secretary of DEI August Ogunnowo talked about past events and what the committee has planned for the future. Ogunnowo is planning a DEI panel in the spring.

“I’m really excited about the Embracing Difference Committee,” Ogunnowo said. “I've been working on that initiative for two years, so I'm really excited that we finally have a solid, concrete plan.”

Ogunnowo also led ASG in DEI training. The senate read through different scenarios. The first described a transphobic conversation between peers, and senators then reflected and discussed the situation. Ogunnowo said to enter the conversation with an open mind.

“I encourage you to be open,” Ogunnowo said. “This is a learning space.”