Editor's note: this article was updated at 6:54 p.m. Feb. 20 to reflect that it was Rep. Noah Coats was the one who called debate on "The Trash Responsibility Act."
The Undergraduate Student Congress voted at its Tuesday meeting to approve the allocation of funds, pass an act promoting trash responsibility, and pass a resolution in support of diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Matters Act would establish SGA’s support of DEI efforts and programs. The resolution urges OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. and the Board of Regents to support DEI programs at OU.
This resolution is in response to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s recent executive order, which removes state funding from university DEI offices and programs.
Rep. Shrey Kathuria spoke on the resolution, saying DEI is “not trying to enforce any political ideology on anybody.”
When asked what the resolution changes about current policy, Kathuria said, “Obviously state law does supersede SGA law. However, we as a student body want to fight our tails off to protect DEI because I want to protect students like you.”
Rep. Michael Reynolds, among others, asked if other universities or entities had been consulted on the bill. Authors Shrey Kathuria and Caleb Robinson said they had not, but they are open to sending those universities or entities a copy of the resolution. A few mentioned include the Oklahoma State University Student Government, Langston University and historically black colleges and universities.
Voting on the resolution began, but Rep. Vignech Anand called for a suspension of time. A suspension of time would allow Congress to rewind time and enter debate on the resolution.
There was a roll call vote to suspend time, which failed. There will be no debate on this bill.
The resolution passes with a vote of 23-1-0. Rep. Syed Aslam was the single vote against the bill.
Reynolds motioned to reconsider the resolution, which requires a majority vote.
There was a roll call vote to reconsider, which passed with a vote of 18-4-0. The resolution will be reconsidered.
Friendly amendments were added to send the resolution to OU’s Diversity and Inclusion program, to multicultural fraternities and sororities and to OU Fraternity and Sorority Programs and Services.
While discussing the goal of this resolution, Robinson said, “It’s more of a message to the legislators and to the executives in the Capitol that we stand for diversity and inclusion.”
Kathuria, while discussing equity, said, “All we’re asking for is for everyone to have an equitable playing field.”
The resolution passes with a vote of 19-1-0. Rep. Syed Aslam was the single vote against the bill. A few representatives left the meeting and were not present to vote.
Allocation of Student Government Funds
The Auxiliary Allocation 12 Act of 2023-24 allocates Student Government Association funds to registered student organizations. It proposes dispersing $81,115.82 among 125 organizations.
Of those organizations, the International Advisory Committee is to receive the highest allotment of funds, $7,000. The organizations receiving the next highest allotments are the Black Student Association ($5,966) and the American Indian Student Organization ($5,560).
The act makes provisions for unused funds and outlines details of the fiscal year.
The act passes with a roll call vote of 19-0-1. Rep. Noah Coats abstained.
Trash Responsibility Act
The Trash Responsibility Act:Promoting Clean and Responsible Behavior on Campus encourages recycling, proposes consequences for littering and advises against using confetti on campus property.
SGA hopes that the university will work with the sustainability committee to achieve these goals.
Rep. Aaron Gilson-Bond spoke on the resolution, saying it seeks to create “a culture of cleanness, responsibility and environmental sustainability within the university community.”
This resolution cites evidence from a recent survey the sustainability committee conducted. Gilson-Bond said the survey received about 102 responses.
Rep. Madeline Cantrell proposed changing the language of the resolution to clarify only a small sample of the student body was surveyed. After deliberation, the authors accepted the amendment.
Robinson motioned to extend time for questions, which requires a suspension of the rules. A roll call vote to suspend the rules failed. There will be no more time for questions.
Rep. Noah Coats called for debate, and Robinson objected. There will be a roll call vote to determine if a debate will take place, which needs a two-thirds majority.
The vote passes, and there will be no debate.
The resolution passes with a vote of 16-4-0. Representatives Brianna Cisneros, Kyle Martin, Noah Coats and Michael Reynolds voted against the resolution.
