Student Government saw two different proposals to resolve their previous endorsement of Iowa Senate File 274 and House File 316 at their Wednesday meeting.

Sen. Sandeep Stanley proposed Student Government amend its original resolution rather than rescinding support. The proposal includes the addition of “The Iowa State University Student Government does not support the second sentence of Section 3.3 in its current form and recommends that it be altered or removed” within the resolution.

“This solution achieves all of our objectives that we need to strike the controversial part of the resolution we passed a few weeks ago,” Stanley said.

Sen. Jacob Schrader quoted a few Bible verses to explain why a religious group might not want a lesbian or gay leader within their clubs, as religious groups also are protected by Iowa State to exercise their beliefs.

The amendment was approved with a vote of 27-0-0.

Sen. Ihssan Ait-Boucherbil then introduced her resolution to rescind Student Government’s endorsement of Senate File 274 and House File 316. The resolution would rescind the support for all of the bill which covered expanding free speech zones as well as allowing student organizations to put restrictions on who would be able to take leadership within their organizations.

An argument was made by several senators that it was already known to the legislators Student Government had endorsed the bill, despite the official document never having been sent, due to Schrader sending copies of the resolution to legislators and lobbyists who requested it as well as articles written by the Iowa State Daily.

“Just because the legislature already knows about our approval of this bill does not mean we can’t send out signed copies to show where Student Government stands,” Ait-Boucherbil said.

Schrader disagreed with the total rescission, as he said he felt the rest of the bill was good and clarified the protections of free speech on campus.

“Let’s not rush to overcorrect,” Schrader said.

An amendment to the resolution was added by Ait-Boucherbil to clarify the purpose of the possible rescission that read:

“The Iowa State University Student Government does not support the possibility for discrimination within student organizations found in section 3.3.”

This solution was passed with a vote of 15-11-0. This means Stanley’s amendment is overruled and will not be sent onward.

Sen. Kaitlyn Sanchez introduced a resolution titled “Addressing and Improving Student Government.” The resolution recognizes the positive strides Student Government has made as well as the progress that still can be made, and resolves for a student body-wide survey to be sent out for feedback and use those results to see what Student Government can continue to improve upon.

The resolution was tabled for one week.

Stanley introduced a resolution endorsing Iowa Senate File 342 and House Study Bill 175, which is about medical amnesty.

“Medical amnesty policies are designed to protect individuals who experience a medical emergency caused by the illegal possession or consumption of controlled substances from liability that would arise from contact with emergency services,” according to the resolution.

The resolution passed by way of unanimous consent.

Sen. Courtney Beringer introduced a resolution titled “Encouraging Participation for the ISU Community in the 2020 Iowa Caucuses.” The resolution declared that there may be no required, or encouraged to be required, “academic, lecture, athletic and other events,” according to the resolution. Clearing Feb. 3, 2020, of events will allow all Iowa State students and staff members to participate in the caucus.

“With just under a year to prepare, all of the above actions are more than reasonable,” according to the resolution. “Moreover, working through some simple scheduling conflicts is reasonable given the importance of civic engagement. As a public institution created to ‘create, share and apply knowledge to make Iowa and the world a better place,’ ISU should prioritize the most fundamental way our students, staff, and faculty can make our great state and country a better place: our ability to vote.” 

The resolution was passed by way of unanimous consent.

Block and Bridle asked for $4,088 to assist in decreasing expenses for an event they will be hosting on April 6. The event, Animal Learning Day, is open to all Iowa State students and members of the Ames community.

The funding request was tabled as no representatives were able to be in attendance.

Project Jamaica requested $6,600 to send 22 students from outside of their organization to travel to Jamaica for a service trip. The funding would assist with food, shelter, supplies and flight costs.

The funding bill failed to pass with a vote of 5-17-5.

The Railroad Club asked for $104 to help improve their club and increase their members’ participation. The club is looking to increase their ability to advertise as well as decreasing the cost of storage so they are able to use their funds in a more useful manner.

The funding bill passed with a vote of 28-0-0.

The Suicide Awareness Organization requested $705.50 for their Out of the Darkness Iowa State University Campus Walk on April 27, which brings awareness to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. The funding will assist in decreasing the cost of promotional materials, refreshments, rentals and supplies.

The funding bill passed with a vote of 25-0-1.

The Ames Student Association for Malaysians requested $1,600 to help fund the Malaysian Cultural Night held on April 27 for an anticipated 200 participants.

The funding request was confirmed with a vote of 25-0-1.

For more information or to contact your senator, visit stugov.iastate.edu. The senate meetings are open to the public 7 p.m. Wednesdays in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union.