Student Government Senate discussed a bill of initial recommendations to administration on diversity initiatives. The goal of the initiatives would be to address solutions for issues multicultural students face on campus.

Recently, an open forum took place among members of university administration, including President Steven Leath, and Students Against Bigotry, a student-run organization who organized the event.

Students Against Bigotry brought forward a series of issues and concerns multicultural students face on Iowa State’s campus and proposed a call for change from administration.

The bill discussed Wednesday by the Senate, which included a list of possible solutions brought to the open forum by the multicultural students, may serve as a starting point for reform.

The recommendations are as follows: the implementation of a multicultural safe-zone program for faculty, staff and students; the addition of a multicultural liaison officer and sensitivity training for the ISU Police Department; the implementation of an online diversity awareness course for incoming students; the improvement of existing multicultural centers; and the establishment of multicultural-based, non-residential learning communities, as well as sufficient support for all colleges.

Michael Snook, senior in computer engineering and vice speaker of the Senate, said this bill was not a final list of solutions but suggestions.

The Senate voted a bill 40 to 1 to fund PhilanthroFest, a philanthropic event on campus, $5,606.

The event is meant to benefit philanthropic causes and student organizations and an opportunity for these groups to promote themselves on campus. The event would encompass at least 15 organizations, including Project Linus, Dance Marathon and more.

Since the event is taking place in November, some senators were concerned with how quickly the bill was being pushed through.

“If any other student organization came to us with less than a month until the event, we wouldn’t fund them,” said Sen. George Weston, graduate assistant in sociology. “I don’t like how rushed this is, especially with over $5,000.”

Sen. Cole Staudt, junior in political science, said it was the organization’s job to help student groups. By funding this event, he said the senators were helping unknown student groups while getting the Student Government name out on campus.

Senators passed a bill 35 to 5 to fund $3,200.55 to the Iowa State Singers for their opportunity to perform in a nationally recognized performance center.

The ensemble group was invited to perform as the showcase act at Carnegie Hall in New York City this spring. Approximately 70 members are slated to travel, 39 of whom are music majors.

Iowa State Singers has agreed to match Student Government’s funding and pay $3,200.5, bringing the total price of the trip to $6,401.10.

President Dan Breitbarth, senior in business economics, pointed out to the Senate that the group came to Student Government as a last resort.

Sen. Brittany Gaura, junior in political science, said she believed the Senate shouldn’t take away this opportunity, since the members of the group pay their student fees like everyone else.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Gaura said. “The opportunity is such a great one, and I don’t want to take that away from them.”

Snook pointed out at least part of the group will go without the funding from the Senate. He also pointed out there was a conflict, since the members of the group can receive credit for participating.

Additionally, two people were unanimously seated as at-large members to the public relations committee. These members include Jacob Miller, junior in advertising, and Anais Romero-Rios, sophomore in political science.

A third at-large member, Elijah Decious, junior in political science, was voted to the seat 35 to 4 after some discussion from the Senate.

When asked how he would explain Student Government, Decious called the Senate “a bunch of stuffy people who sit around on Wednesday night and don’t accomplish anything.”

Decious went on to say that he wanted to change that, leading to a discussion from the Senate on Decious’s candidacy.

After these comments, Breitbarth asked Decious why he wanted to be a part of Student Government if he didn’t think it accomplished anything.

Sen. Staudt defended Decious and said the governing body wants a variety of opinions.

“He’s standing at the podium because he wants to make Student Government better,” Staudt said. “Why would we punish him for saying what he believes in?”

A couple of senators also pointed out that Decious was stating what the student body generally believes, and not what he personally believes.

Sen. Robert Dunn, senior in accounting, questioned Decious’s passion for the job and the organization as a whole.

Sen. Abbie Lang, senior in finance and the chairwoman of the public relations committee, also defended Decious. “We picked him because he didn’t have a problem telling us what the students think,” she said.

The body also approved the seating of several members onto its Senate.

Two people, Maria Archevald and Rhett Thys, were unanimously approved as senators for the United Residents Off Campus. Archevald is a junior in biology and Thys is a sophomore in mechanical engineering.

Roberto Cortes Ortiz, junior in interdisciplinary studies, was seated unanimously as a representative for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Finally, new senator Alex Brand, freshman in agricultural business, was appointed unanimously to the Senate for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.