WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS STUDENT UNION SENATE MEETING

DATE CONVENED // September 22, 2020

LOCATION // Zoom

RECORDING SECRETARY // Anne He

TIME CONVENED // 5pm — Speaker Gaby Smith Calls to Order

AGENDA 8/24/2020Senate & Joint SessionAgenda:Fall 2020 overviewCalendarAttendanceProjects and participationNew Senators!Breakout roomsHow can Senate continue to advocate for students during the COVID-19 pandemic?What are some new roles Senate can take on given the nature of this semester?Is there anything Senate should/could be doing differently to better support students?Project Updates/ Open ForumExec and Advisor UpdatesSenate Snapz

Attendance

First	Last	08/24
Chloe	Doumar	AE
Nkemjika	Emenike	AE
Stephanie	Hernandez-Barrales	P
Philip	Keisler	P
Kristina	Lee	A
Nicole	Leers	P
Eric	Miller	P
Gaby	Smith	P
Dylan	Rosenthal	P
Tennyson	Holmes	P
Adam	Oubaita	P
Christine	Muoghalu	P

Fall 2020 Overview

• New Senators in 2 weeks, 16 applications so far
• Bi-weekly Senate meetings, except Election Day which will be added to another week
• 2 absences allowed, excuses include exams and extenuating circumstances
• Start brainstorming projects for this fall
• Going to have 1 participation point that everyone’s responsible for
• Be extra excited for new senators next week!

Questions About How We’ll Operate in Fall

• How can Senate continue to advocate through COVID?
  1. Emphasize communication: making sure to email & Slack project updates or what’s going on on campus
  2. ALAS & a lot of other cultural/ethnic orgs have moved toward advocacy this semester; let’s get representatives in these groups!
  3. Reaching out to see if colleges can give us their survey data on what students want improved
  4. We should reach out to groups like ABS and other groups to coordinate and collaborate
  5. Zoom background contest
• What can we do better?
  1. Utilizing social media a lot more; get on FB & Twitter; doing a follower campaign
  2. School-wide game night Zoom
• What are some bonding activities on Zoom?
  1. Zoom dinners
  2. Answer random questions & do a Kahoot to guess which facts were about who
  3. Speed dating, breakout rooms
  4. Newlywed game
  5. Do a presentation about each other’s big/littles
  6. Add general social activity to each mtg
  7. In person people can meet up

Student Body Pulse

• Off campus apartment internet is not good enough to support Zoom
  1. Look into CC
• Dean Smith can answer any professor/virtual-related questions
  1. Will put it on the Instagram to see what questions people have for Dean Smith

Project Updates

• Tenny’s Power to the Polls project is encouraging WashU students to be poll workers; reaching 100 sign ups
  1. Need help running the Instagram, using PTP graphics
  2. Scheduling virtual poll worker trainings
• Kem: Molly Bennett resigned, was going to make a committee with students on both sides, but fall planning pushed it back
  1. Art for advocacy?
• Nicole: National Therapist Network
• Philip: discuss resolution to show we stand behind marijuana possession being expunged
  1. Kognito training emailing idea
  2. Sustainable dining bags
• Gaby: giving new Senators a mini project, so keep tasks in mind that we can give them

Exec Updates/Open Forum

• Off campus apartment internet is not good enough to support Zoom
• Beth is in charge of GL
• New campus spaces opening up
• Laundry costs are down, menstrual products are in
• Rescheduling Aly Raisman
• STL Engagement working group opening soon
• GB Part 3 in October
• If student groups reshare their post, they’ll be put into a drawing for $100

Senate Snapz

• Yay Philip for being the most engaged new committee chair!
• Yay Tennyson for 100 signups!