The Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) declared a climate emergency in a joint resolution with Student Government and received a report from the College of Veterinary Medicine, among other bills.

The meeting was at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Gallery Room of the Memorial Union and was open to the public.

During the public forum, slates for Student Government’s president and vice president came to pitch their platforms to GPSS.

Lydia Greene, junior in political science, and Joshua Hanyang, senior in management information systems, spoke about the Greene-Hanyang campaign.

Greene gave a presentation of their platform, which includes diversity and inclusion, mental health awareness, green initiatives, student government transparency and an initiative to implement a one-credit, half-semester course called “ISU 101.”

Greene said that ISU 101 would be available to graduate students if they wanted to take the course.

Additionally, Jacob Schrader, senior in economics and political science, spoke about the Fritz-Schrader campaign.

Schrader answered questions on their platform of addressing college affordability, campus climate and sustainability on campus.

Schrader said that the implementation of free menstrual products would be available in women’s restrooms, gender-neutral restrooms and family bathrooms at minimum.

Additionally, Greene, Hanyang and Schrader encouraged all students to go out and vote on March 3 and March 4 at vote.iastate.edu. More information about slates can be found on the Student Government website.

Then, GPSS discussed its budget for the fiscal year 2021.

Total income was estimated at $169,955.52, with 61 percent of the funds coming from Student Activities Fees. Total expenditures were estimated at $165,200, creating a $4755.52 surplus in funding.

A total of $22,700 is projected to go towards the Executive Committee, $5,000 is projected to go towards the Social Committee, $32,500 is projected to go towards the Finance Committee, $0 is projected to go towards the University Relations Legislative Affairs Chair, $101,000 is projected to go towards the Professional Advancement Grant (PAG) Committee and $4,000 is projected to go towards the Graduate and Professional Student Research Conference (GPSRC) chair.

The budget was referred back to the Finance Committee, awaiting questions to be answered by the PAG Committee about funding amounts.

Following, GPSS received an update from Vet Med.

Vet Med Sen. Chelsea Iennarella-Servantez, a second-year graduate student, delivered the update.

Last month, the college was censured by Student Government after instances of racism and xenophobia, Iennarella-Servantez said.

“Anytime there’s a barrier to access of education, that’s an issue,” Iennarella-Servantez said. “Especially if it targets a very vulnerable population, that’s something that needs to be addressed. And unfortunately, it wasn’t addressed in a manner and a time frame that a lot of those students [needed] to access those resources they deserve.”

GPSS then moved to confirm Kate Alucard, Student Government Vet Med senator, as a GPSS senator-at-large.

Alucard was approved by a vote of 57-0-0.

GPSS then discussed a bill titled “Establishing Rules Governing Vacancies in the Student Government Senator Seat for the College of Veterinary Medicine.”

The bill passed by a vote of 56-0-1.

After reports from executive members to the Senate and a recess, GPSS discussed amendments to the previously overhauled constitution and bylaws.

The amendments were voted on by a voice vote from senators.

A voice vote is the vote taken by judging strength of ayes versus nays from a group. The voice vote can expedite the voting process, eliminating the need for individual roll call in voting.

The first motion was to rename the GPSRC to Graduate and Professional Student Conference and make all appropriate relevant changes to the proposed constitution and bylaws to be made effective on April 9.

The motion passed by all ayes.

Next was a motion to add to the duties of GPSRC chair, adding the task of overseeing GPSS contributions to Research Day and make all appropriate relevant changes to the proposed constitution and bylaws, effective upon adoption of the bylaws and constitution.

The motion passed with only one nay.

Next was a motion to rename GPSRC chair to conference officer and make all appropriate relevant changes to the proposed constitution and bylaws and to be made effective at the election on March 30.

The motion passed with all ayes.

Next was a motion to remove PAG Chair as a GPSS officer position, to make the GPSS President the chair of the Awards Committee, to move the duty of replying to PAG inquiries to the GPSS chief information officer and to make all appropriate relevant changes to the proposed constitution and bylaws to be made effective at the end of the current term or resignation of the PAG chair, whichever comes first.

The motion passed with a few nays.

Next was a motion to create the wellness officer as a GPSS officer position, to describe the duties of the wellness officer to include “Graduate Student Wellness Week in collaboration with ISU Student Wellness” and to move “chair Social Committee and organize GPSS social events” from the duties of vice president to the wellness officer position, as well as adding that the wellness officer would chair the Wellness Committee and make all appropriate relevant changes to the proposed constitution and bylaws to be made effective as a position at the election on March 30.

The motion passed with all ayes.

Next was a motion to add the duty of “overseeing relationships with Student Government” to the GPSS vice president and make all appropriate relevant changes to the proposed constitution and bylaws, effective upon adoption of the bylaws and constitution.

The motion passed with all ayes.

Next was a motion to change the name of “University Relations and Legislative Affairs Chair” to “Senate Engagement Officer” (SEO) and make all appropriate relevant changes to the proposed constitution and bylaws, to be made effective on Aug. 1.

The motion passed with all ayes.

Next was a motion to include under the description of SEO the duties of overseeing senator on-boarding, soliciting senator feedback and making all appropriate relevant changes to the proposed constitution and bylaws, effective upon adoption of the by-laws and constitution.

The motion passed with all ayes.

Next was a motion to rename the position of Chief Information Officer to Senate Information Officer and make all appropriate relevant changes to the proposed constitution and bylaws, to be made effective at the election on March 30.

The motion passed with all ayes.

Next was a motion to create in the bylaws the position of college liaisons, wherein senators from each college would elect one senator from within their group to serve as the college liaison for that college. Each college liaison shall arrange meetings between the college administration, shall meet with the College Constituency Council, as defined by Student Government bylaws, at least once a semester and meet with the executive officers at least once per semester. The administration of the Graduate College shall serve as the contact for the interdepartmental chair to be made effective on Aug. 1.

The motion failed with a majority of nays.

GPSS then voted on a bill adopting the new bylaws recommended by the Committee for Constitutional Revision, including the previous amendments.

The committee was chaired by GPSS Vice President James Klimavicz, working alongside President Eleanor Field, Sen. Joe Eilers, Iennarella-Servantez, Sen. Benjamin Robertson, Sen. Charles Wongus and Sen. at-large Carrie Ann Johnson.

The bylaws were adopted by a vote of 47-1-8.

Following suit, GPSS voted on a bill ratifying the new constitution recommended by the Committee for Constitutional Revision, including the previous amendments. 

The constitution was ratified by a vote of 54-0-2.

GPSS then passed a bill recognizing Judy Stand, assistant to the dean of the Graduate College.

“The Graduate College has heavily relied on Judy Strand for her knowledge, experience and good sense,” according to the document. “Judy Strand will be retiring from her position on March 6, 2020, after approximately 30 years working for Iowa State University and 10 years in the Graduate College.”

The bill passed by a vote of 56-0-0.

Ending the meeting, GPSS passed a joint resolution from Student Government declaring a climate emergency.

“On July 20, 2019, University of Iowa Student Government passed legislation at the conference of the Alliance of the Big Ten Schools, which led to all of the Big Ten Schools signing on to declare a climate emergency,” according to the document. “The University of Northern Iowa and the University of Iowa have both declared a climate emergency within their respective student governments to portray to their students and university leaders that climate change is a real and immediate threat to the state of Iowa, and, as a university priding itself in science and technology, Iowa State University must show its dedication to responding to changing science and technology by declaring a climate emergency.”

The resolution passed by all ayes.

The next GPSS meeting will be March 30 in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. More information about GPSS and its function can be found online at gpss.iastate.edu