Student Body President (SBP) Will Brinley and Student Body Vice President (SBVP) Babs Dwyer introduced themselves to new members of Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) on Sept. 23. They talked about raising awareness around mental health, bringing together students from different backgrounds and the future of the accessibility map they proposed during their campaign.
Brinley and Dwyer introduced the concept of a digital accessibility map during their campaign. The map would provide students with directions to things like elevators, ramps and gender-neutral bathrooms. Dwyer said she and Brinley will meet with engineering faculty in the next few weeks, but that the project is unlikely to be finished by the time their term is over.
“As much as I would love in our time here to rip up all the pavement and make everything accessible, that’s not something we’re going to be able to do in our time,” Dwyer said.
Additionally, Brinley and Dwyer are holding a leadership mental health dinner for presidents of various student organizations. Brinley also extended the invitation to 40 senators.
“It’s super important that mental health is on the rise in the topic of conversations right now,” Brinley said.
Amid the upcoming presidential election, Dwyer said they will remain non-partisan. She encouraged senators to register to vote and shared her experience as a poll worker.
“A lot of us are student leaders,” Dwyer said. “We’re going to have our own opinions, but overall just fostering that civic engagement is really important.”
Secretary of On-Campus Affairs Danny Martin responded to last week’s student concern regarding the prohibition of e-vehicles in residence halls. He said the Miami legal department reported deaths and injuries when using these devices, so the rule will continue.
Senator Wade Warren raised a concern about the amount of water used on campus for sprinklers. Secretary of Infrastructure & Sustainability John Day said it is an issue that is brought up every year, but the concern was committed.
Speaker Pro Tempore Nick Barry conducted ethical communication training. He said he wants to reduce uncivil conversations. Barry also said being aware of ego, context, experience and the motivation behind the conversation will improve communication. Barry said the main issue in the past was with passive aggressiveness.
“Once you establish [an] environment of being open-minded, great things happen,” Barry said.
Senator Nick Paprocki stepped down from the steering committee because of scheduling conflicts. Senator Bill Kwan was elected to fill the position.
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“One of the most important parts of any team effort is being willing to fill in the gaps,” Kwan said.
ASG elected Senators Charles Amara and Emily Mason to the student trustee selection committee. Senators Ife Araba, Katherine Allison and Charles Merrill were nominated by Speaker of the Senate Shelby Alford and elected through a vote of confidence.
ASG voted to update the Senate Standing Rules. Parliamentarian Jackson Abram proposed an amendment to change the verbiage surrounding the attendance policy. After a short debate, it was decided that senators will be required to submit a photo as evidence to Canvas or speak with Barry about a missed photo.
Special election packets are open until Oct 9. Alford encouraged senators to reach out to anyone who is interested. Packets are found on the ASG website.
ASG’s next meeting is at 6 p.m. on Sept. 30 in the Joslin Senate Chamber.
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