Senate: Students Address Textbook Affordability and Accommodations
The Student Senate executive board during a meeting (Photo Aly Wein/The Gettysburgian)
By Gracie Meisner, Contributing Writer
Monday’s Senate meeting included three budget requests, opinions around textbook affordability and course markings, concerns around weekend gatherings and insufficient resources for students with disabilities, and the passing of a new amendment.
Officer Reports
President Syd Quan ’22 addressed the confusion around the presence of printers in the library. She clarified that, despite many believing printers were already installed in the library, they won’t be there until October. Quan also highlighted the Strategic Planning meeting, which will take place on Wednesday in CUB 260.
Vice President Colin Hughes ’23 highlighted the Title IX events taking place as a part of the It’s On Us campaign. He encouraged members to show support for the cause by partaking in the events, which can be found on EngageGettysburg.
Treasurer Connor Heath ’23 followed with a budget update. The amount of money spent by clubs increased this week to $2,044.09 from $1,106.02, the amount Health mentioned in last week’s Senate meeting. Heath noted that he has received many budget requests from clubs and will be responding to them around the middle of the week.
Secretary Evelyn Datte ’24 explained that the Senate website is being updated, and that members should send a headshot to be used.
Committee Reports
The Safety Committee announced that it meets Wednesdays at 7 p.m., and encouraged those interested to come and get involved.
Opinions
Matt James ’22 and Tom Cassara ’23 proposed two opinions. The first opinion advocated for the implementation of Open Education Resources, which are openly licensed course materials, such as textbooks and assignments that are comparable to the baseline costly materials that students are required to purchase. The opinion suggested that the administration recommend that faculty implement Open Education Resources into their curriculum. The opinion passed unanimously.
The second opinion addressed the fact that course markings, which show the cost of each course, are not disclosed to students at the time of registration. The opinion noted that some students make decisions about their courses based on how expensive they are, and that faculty should be transparent about the cost of their materials in order to allow students to make an informed financial decision. The opinion recommended that the administration implement course markings on the Student Center website during course registration, and passed unanimously.
Budget Reports
The budget requests were addressed in the meeting. The Chinese Students and Scholars Club requested $998.60 for food, transportation, and material costs from the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Senate voted to allot the full amount. The second budget request came from the Vietnamese Student Association for $848.19 for costs of decorations, materials, and marketing materials from the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Senate voted to allot the full amount. The third budget request came from the Latin American Student Association for $1,000 for food at the Esperanza event, which celebrates hope and Hispanic heritage. The Senate voted to allot the full amount.
Student Concerns
One student expressed a concern about fraternities only being permitted to host one event with alcohol per weekend, because it raises the safety concern of too many students at the single event. Director of Student Activities and Greek Life Jon Allen explained that the Department of Public Safety is short-staffed and cannot manage more than one event per week.
Another student brought up a concern around the lack of resources for physically and neurologically disabled students at Gettysburg, explaining that the college does not provide proper infrastructure or accommodations. The student noted that disability parking spaces are far from disability-accessible dorms, and that there are not enough disabled folks in the decision-making room around these topics. The student noted that disabilities are intricate and complex, and the college needs staff who can support disabled students.
Amendment
The Senate voted unanimously to pass an amendment that allows the Inclusion Committee to run even if less than two voting members from the Senate are present, and gives the Inclusion Officer and Diversity Chair voting power in the committee.
New Member Onboarding
Monday’s meeting concluded with new member onboarding, which introduced new members to the rules and procedures that occur within the Senate.
