Emman Khan, College of Science senator, discusses a resolution during a Student Senate general body meeting Nov. 11 in the Student Government Chambers. Khan is the chair of the Academic Affairs Committee.
The Student Senate voted on one resolution and introduced three new resolutions during its Tuesday meeting.
Resolution 25-18, “Cultivating Campus Civic Culture,” was voted on and passed without deliberation.
The resolution urges UTA to provide mail-in voter registration forms at multiple campus locations, including the Central Library front desk, the UTA post office and residence hall front desks.
Yaseen Tasnif, former student senator, authored the resolution and gave a speech advising student senators to vote in favor. They cited statistics indicating that Texan youth face barriers in voting, leading to low voter turnout.
“It’s estimated that only 39.6% of young Texans are registered to vote to begin with, making it so that even if all 39.6% of those voted, it still wouldn’t be an accurate representation of Texas youth in general,” Tasnif said.
Andres Morales, Student Government vice president, speaks during a Student Senate general body meeting Nov. 11 in the Student Government Chambers. Morales authored Resolution 25-29, “Midterm Exam, Midterm Feedback.”
The senate also introduced Resolution 25-28, “Operation Relocation: Bring the Vets to the UC.”
This resolution intends to establish a Military and Veteran Services center in the University Center to ensure that veteran and military-connected students have convenient access to its services. The current Military and Veteran Services center is 25 or more minutes from the main campus by foot.
Resolution 25-29, “Midterm Exam, Midterm Feedback,” sets out to implement a midterm review process where students can give their professors feedback earlier in the semester, allowing professors to update their courses for current student success.
Jaysen Johnson, College of Liberal Arts senator, asked how it would differ from the end-of-semester course evaluations.
Jaysen Johnson, College of Liberal Arts senator, speaks during a Student Senate general body meeting Nov. 11 in the Student Government Chambers. Johnson is the chair of the Community Affairs Committee.
Andres Morales, Student Body vice president and resolution author, said that this would give professors actual liability and effectively hold them responsible for approaching the course differently so students won’t have to drop or fail the class after the withdrawal date.
Sai Veerabathina, College of Business senator, questioned if professors changing a course in the middle of a semester would go against the initial syllabus.
Morales said it would not, stating that the syllabus only outlines how things are put out in class.
“The professors actually have their own option of altering the syllabus at times,” Morales said.
Nicholas Spivey, College of Engineering senator, asks a question during a Student Senate general body meeting Nov. 11 in the Student Government Chambers. Spivey is the chair of the Special Affairs Committee.
Resolution 25-30, “Seeds of Support,” intends to establish a garden committee on campus, hopefully addressing food insecurity among UTA students in a healthy and community-building way.
Emman Khan, College of Science senator, asked where they planned to put the garden, something that has not been decided yet.
Shravan Venkatesh, College of Science senator, inquired about the food insecurity on campus.
Morales said that while he didn’t have data ready, since the government shutdown, there has been an influx in students who need assistance with groceries from the Maverick Pantry.
The Student Senate’s next meeting will be at 6 p.m. Nov. 25 in the Student Government Chambers.
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