Some members of Student Government are set to attend a Big 12 conference, following the Senate’s passing of a bill which provides the necessary funding.

The $6,696.99 passed by the Senate will go toward funding for travel, registration and other trip-associated costs according to Senate documents.

Vice-Speaker of the Senate Brandon Kamstra, a senior in kinesiology and health, said the yearly conference is important to Student Government.

“All the Big 12 schools’ student governments will collect together to network, but also to come up with ideas for the Big 12 and all that will come up this coming spring,” Kamstra said.

The conference this year is set to be held at Texas Christian University, but will be held at Iowa State in 2024. Kamstra said members of Student Government will be paying close attention to the planning process so that Student Government will be prepared to plan in the spring.

The Senate unanimously passed a resolution recognizing Oct. 9 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

“I just want the Iowa state government to recognize Oct. 9 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and we will also make a recommendation to the university to also recognize that day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” said College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Senator Asray Gopa, a sophomore in computer sciences. “Iowa State is of course a land-grant institution, and we wish to recognize our obligations to this land and to the people who took care of it– as well to the 70,000 Native people who live in Iowa today.”

Confirmations

The Senate confirmed five individuals to different positions within Student Government. Confirmations include:

• Mytchell Hagan, a freshman in finance, as director of affordability.
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Senator Evan Martinez, a sophomore in political science, as a member of the finance committee.
• Off-Campus Senator Alexandra Momaney, a junior in global resource management, as a member of the inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) committee.
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Senator Muhammad Azhan, a graduate student in chemistry, as a member of the sustainability committee. 
• Katherine O’Driscoll, a sophomore in environmental science, as an at-large member of the sustainability committee.