Campus Update

Amy Inkrott / News Editor / The USD Vista

Associated Students

With three swift strikes of the gavel, the March 28 Associated Students Senate meeting was called to order. Throughout the semester, the senate has witnessed a shift in power as elected senators resign or were removed. AS President Natasha Salgado filled these vacancies, causing a shift in the AS power dynamic. 

After a month of contentious debate, the AS Senate voted to register USD Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER). ANSWER’s mission statement expressed the group’s commitment to socialism, solidarity, and direct action. Previously, the group defended themselves against allegations of anti-Semitism and terrorist affiliations connected to ANSWER’s national organization. Again, senators raised concerns about the group’s ties to the national organization and the concerns of students within the Jewish Student Union (JSU). Sitting as a proxy, sophomore Alanah Winston defended ANSWER, explaining how they met with students from the JSU, finding that their respective goals on campus did not conflict. In a later statement, students from the JSU denied this claim. Senator Rowan Parmenter expressed his interest in constructing a resolution denouncing anti-Semitism. Inclusion and Diversity Chair Jesse Magaña requested that any resolution made, also be extended to racism, sexism, anti-Islam, and homophobia. The body voted to approve ANSWER, officially registering them as a student organization. 

Next, Speaker of the Senate Alexander Plummer highlighted the proposed changes to the AS Constitution. These changes would include a reapportionment of senators and a proposed judicial branch of the AS government. Under the proposed plan, eight senators would represent the various residence halls, six senators would represent commuter students, four senators would represent the College of Arts and Sciences, and one would be given to each the School of Business and another to the School of Engineering. The remaining 10 senators would be classified as “at large,” enabling them to represent any dimension of the campus community. This means that a senator does not need to be linked to a specific school or residence hall. Further, they can represent any area of the campus community with which they are involved.

Another proposed change would form a judicial branch within the student government. This decision comes after a month of intense constitutional debate between members of the AS Senate and Executive Board. The proposed judicial branch would be composed of one chief justice and four associate justices and tasked with resolving constitutional disputes. Plummer proposed that parliamentarian become the assistant to the Chief Justice. Currently, it is unclear how individuals will be chosen for these positions in order to represent student voices and avoid conflicts of interest. The senate plans to vote on any constitutional changes at their April 4 meeting. 

As the meeting ended, Director of Student Activities and Involvement and AS Advisor Jennifer Lee addressed the senators. Lee urged the senators to remember their commitments outside of the weekly senate meetings, including attendance at constitutional and committee meetings. 

Burglary on campus

At 3:10 p.m. on April 1, the USD community was alerted to an on-campus crime. A robbery was reported at 10:12 a.m. on March 30 in the University Terrace Apartments. The Department of Public Safety explained that the burglary occurred between 6 p.m. and midnight the previous night. The individual’s cash and debit card were reported stolen. Public Safety is conducting an investigation into the situation. A suspect has not yet been apprehended.