By Sarah Laud, Staff Writer
The Senate meeting on Monday, March 21 included a reminder about elections and a discussion on the Senate floor about a budget request from Young Americans for Freedom.
Quan opened the meeting with a warning of the contentious content that may be brought to the floor.
Vice President Miranda Zamora announced the opening of applications for next year’s Senate President and Vice President. Applications for these two positions closed on March 25 at noon.
Election Education sessions are open as a way to ask questions in real time on March 29 from 7 to 8 p.m. Candidates and anyone interested in running are encouraged to contact Zamora.
Next, Treasurer Connor Heath gave budget updates. The current money allotted in Senate is $91,511. Over the past, Senate has spent $56,484.82 with $35,016.18 and a rollover fund of $41,994.53.
Secretary Evelyn Datte ’24 reminded the floor of the Senate Open House on April 2. Staff positions are still available for people interested in filling these roles. If anyone is also interested in planning the event committee meetings are on Wednesdays.
Senate advisor Jon Allen announced that signups are open for clubs to register for the Get Acquainted Day Student EXPO. He reminded the group that end of year events are becoming harder to plan as space and time are limited. Clubs and other student activities are encouraged to make their reservations as soon as possible.
Although this week had no guest speaker attending, President Bob Iuliano will be making his appearance at Student Senate. The date is to be determined.
Committee reports began with BMC announcing that budgets should be requested by 5 p.m. on Thursday for optimal turn-around.
The Election Affairs Committee (EAC) reminded the floor of their previewing potential new policy changes. They also addressed to the members that they should be ready to view the approval or denial of candidates’ campaign materials.
The Policy Committee updated the floor that the amendments to the constitution that was tabled last week will continue to be tabled until the entire Constitution can be passed in full.
The Safety Committee announced that the update on the Medical Amnesty Policy will be discussed on the floor at next week’s Senate meeting.
The Sustainability Committee announced that this summer, Commons will be bringing sustainable cups to their storefront, and the Wellness Committee announced that Dog Days will be coming back.
Budget requests began with the Brown Nipple Collective at $950. They requested the money for a formal this Friday to celebrate Women’s History Month. The budget will be for decorations, provided food, and DPS. The budget was passed in full.
Gettysburg Environmental Concerns Organization (GECO) requested $320 for an end of the Campus Race to Zero Waste week celebration. The money would go towards Rita’s, eco-friendly cups and eco-friendly utensils for students to enjoy. The budget was passed in full.
Model UN requested $1,758 to be used for their attendance to an event held in Virginia. Senate had previously provided funds for the tickets and the rest of their request is for travel, housing, food, etc. The budget was passed in full.
Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), represented by John “Rico” Riccardi ’24 and YAF Chairman Andrew Breschard ’22 made a budget request for $5,431.71 to host a speaker, Ryan T. Anderson, to speak about “sex, gender, and the current discourse surrounding these issues,” Riccardi said. Anderson is the president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and has authored and co-authored multiple books including “What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense” and “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment.”
The Budget Management Committee (BMC) had a 2-4 ruling, with one vote against the budget and one abstention. Heath opened up the floor for comments and questions.
Senator Alex Bove ’24 questioned whether the budget request would reflect the turnout of the event, referencing the event where Elisha Krauss came to speak in November.
“We think this is a valuable speaker that can talk to a lot of contemporary issues,” Riccardi said. “It’s already generated far more interest than Krauss did, so we expect that there would be a lot more turnout as well.”
Ziv Carmi ’23 said that YAF should constitutionally be allowed to bring in the speaker, invoking the matter of free speech.
“I disagree with a lot of the things that Ryan Anderson says, but I think it’s only fair, as a matter of free speech, to allow him to come,” said Carmi. “YAF is a Senate-recognized organization, they have gone through all the motions to get the funding, I think it’s only fair to allow it as long as it is constitutional, which it seems to be.”
Senator Geoffrey Meadville ’25, who was present at the BMC meeting where this budget request was presented, voiced concerns about the environment the speaker would create for students in the LGBTQ+ community.
“I felt like this wouldn’t create a community where people felt safe and accepted and welcomed, so I just worry about that. I feel like although it’s an opportunity for people to learn a different opinion, it’s not necessarily the right way to do it,” Meadville said.
Riccardi acknowledged the concerns about comfort, and noted that students will be able to ask questions for 30 to 45 minutes during the event. He directed the group to videos of Anderson speaking. “It’s very civil,” he said. “It generates a lot of helpful debate.”
Bove also commented on the nature of the talk as it pertains to the LGBTQ+ community on campus. “This man is coming explicitly to rail against a minority presence on this campus and to question their very existence and I personally will not vote for something that’s intended to take down my fellow students,” he said.
Riccardi reiterated YAF’s intention to encourage dialogue by bringing Anderson in to speak. “Our purpose in bringing him is to facilitate dialogue on a very important issue. His goal is not to attack anybody. There’s nothing hateful at all about his rhetoric. He’s a very mainstream conservative voice,” Riccardi said.
In response, Bove said he is not denying their right to bring Anderson to campus, but does not think that Senate should be using the student’s funds to pay for it.
Senator and YAF Treasurer Alex Rosado ’24 clarified the intentions for bringing Anderson to campus. “We would be bringing this man to speak about an educational event, not to politicize anything at all,” he said. “We’re bringing him for an alternative perspective on American contemporary gender issues.”
Quan then encouraged the group to consider tabling the issue until another week, when Senate might plan to bring in Dean Jennifer Bloomquist to talk about the Freedom of Expression Philosophy, which she wrote.
The discussion continued with students sharing thoughts on the balance between freedom of speech and using Senate funds to bring in an individual to speak on topics related to the identity of members of the student body.
“As Student Senate, we’re here to represent the Gettysburg student body and I don’t think that someone’s identity is a debate,” said Anna Benson ’23. “I think funding this as Student Senate could make students feel unsafe and unwelcome and I don’t think as Student Senate that’s right for us to do.”
EJ Gill ’23 asked Senate to consider the balance of introducing discourse and bringing in a speaker who speaks against the LGBTQ+ community. “What we need to weigh as a Student Senate is whether discourse is more important than keeping our trans and LGBTQ students and peers safe in this community,” he said. “I think this guy stands against them and their core identity. Are we really going to invalidate so many students and their experiences by bringing this guy onto campus?”
Riccardi responded by encouraging students with all viewpoints to attend the event, which he deemed to be a “safe space.”
Former Senate member Luke Frigon ’18 also spoke about the budget request. “It’s important to have dialogue, it’s important to have discourse. But we don’t have to listen to transphobes. We don’t have to listen to homophobes. And at the end of the day, student senate is a representative body that represents every single student on this campus including transgender students, including gay students, including students who are LGBTQIA+. You shouldn’t spend your money on this.”
Lauren Browning ’22 asked if YAF approached other departments or offices for alternative funding. They had not; Senate was the first option. Another student asked if YAF had considered talking to the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, and another asked if YAF had an idea of the speech Anderson would give. Breschard and Riccardi said they would welcome other groups on campus to join.
Quan encouraged the group to consider middle ground, potential support and resources from other offices on campus, and directed the group’s attention to the Freedom of Expression Policy.
Given the nature of the discussion, one senator proposed a vote of anonymity which was further discussed on the floor. At the end of the discussion, a motion was made to allot $0 to YAF’s budget request. After the motion, a voice vote was taken. The motion passed with 19 ayes, 4 nays, and 2 abstentions. The budget was not allotted.
No old business was addressed.
New business included a discussion led by Geoffrey Meadville ’25 about sustainability being added to a section of the First-Year Extended Orientation Program, which students may accumulate for the opportunity to earn housing points. Meadville explained that last year, Senate passed an opinion about an opportunity for first year students to learn about sustainability. The motion had previously passed, but the movement was never actually put into place.
Meadville explained that there are plans to work with Residential Life on the idea. He explained potential ideas for the sustainability program, including informational sessions about how to be sustainable in college, information about Adams County recycling laws, general waste disposal on campus information, a tour of sustainability features on campus, and volunteer opportunities. The motion to move forward with the program was passed in full.
Heath ended the meeting by highlighting that Senate has spent a total of $56,484.82 and has $35,016.18 left over for the remainder of the year as the semester comes to a close.
