South Dakota State University Students’ Association approved the constitution of three new clubs and voted on two resolutions at the weekly Monday night meeting in the Lewis and Clark room.
Open Forum
Senators approved constitutions of the Lamb and Wool Club, Rock Band Club and Golf Club.
Feminist and Equality Movement Club (FEM) addressed the senators on becoming a college affiliated with the planned parenthood club.
FEM is dedicated to educating students on campus and the Brookings community on topics such as feminism, sex education, healthy relationships, domestic violence, sexually transmitted diseases and much more.
Goals of FEM include gender equality by spreading awareness of social, political and economic issues that affect everyone and support people of all genders about their sexual health and safety.
The Lamb and Wool Club aims to gain student interest in the lamb and wool industry by providing opportunities to develop leadership skills and to interact with professionals in the agricultural industry.
The club also aims to demonstrate how to season and cook lamb as well as educate students on characteristics of wool and its uses.
The Rock Band Club started as an idea from a music appreciation class and further initiated to create a band. The purpose of the club is to gather members to form bands and organize concerts both on and off campus.
Rock band club currently consists of around 20 members with five different bands such as the country music band, the rock band and indie music band.
The Golf Club seeks to provide opportunities for students on fundamentals using personal training through experienced golfers and allow improvement by participating in competitions.
The Golf Club is sponsored through the National Collegiate and Club Golf Association (NCCGA) and aims to participate in regional tournaments hosted by the NCCGA.
Committee & Staff Reports
SA Adviser Kimberly Grieve urged students to take the Campus Climate Survey.
Communications Chair Hannah Dayaget informed senators about the “Vote today, impact tomorrow” slogan to promote upcoming general elections.
Unfinished Business
Government Affairs Chair Michael Garofalo moved to strike Resolution 23-5-R and amended the agenda by adding Resolution 23-6-R.
Senators voted on the amendment of Resolution 23-3-R. The resolution initially stated SA’s support for bed sharing traveling policy. However, senators amended the resolution to support an Opt-In traveling policy.
Sen. Rylee Sabo for College of Nursing felt the need to encourage the university to make the bed sharing policy an opt-in option. The current proposed policy of bed sharing would double Special Allocation Funds for lodging for student organizations.
Chief of Staff Benjamin Connor spoke in opposition of the resolution, discussing that financial burden may not be as large as implied. Connor discussed dangers of bed sharing and supported the single bed usage for each student.
The amendment was taken to a roll call vote and approved with majority votes.
Senators voted on Commemoration 23-6-C. The SA commemorated Tom Manzer for his dedication and service to South Dakota State University’s football program.
Tom Manzer has served as the public address announcer for Jackrabbit football since 1979 and announced for 270 Jackrabbit football games in his 44 years with Dec. 15, 2023 semifinal game being his last.
“The only thing I would say is that it is always so good to be on the field and hearing ‘The Pride is Back’ (in Manzer’s voice),” said Vice President Hayden Bentz.
Senators also voted on Resolution 23-6-R. The resolution aimed at SA opposition to House Bill 1178. HB 1178 seeks to “prohibit the Board of Regents or any institution under its control from using state resources for obscene live conduct.”
Garofalo explained that the committee saw the similarities in this bill as compared to HB 1113 and HB 1116 as an attempt to bully student organizations. Garofalo added that a policy has been placed in effect with the Board of Regents on how to keep minors away from events that may be perceived as too adult for them.
Garofalo believes that the committee does not want to burden student organizations with more regulations in accordance with HB 1178. He further asked to support the resolution and described the bill and its language to be vague.
Sen. Grace Barnett, discussed the vague language used in the bill and its effect on Hobo Day.
“If this bill passes, we could get into legal trouble for Hobo Day,” Barnett said. “The way language is phrased and different terms like how we dress for Hobo Day and the word ‘Hobo’ is something people are deeply offended by and the law talks about a lot of language about being offended and that’s where we start to touch issues.”
The resolution was taken to a roll call vote and approved with majority votes while six senators abstained.
Announcment
The Martin Luther King Rally and Marade is scheduled to take place on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20.