The Student Government Association Undergraduate Student Congress passed a resolution reaffirming opposition to an Oklahoma State Legislature bill and another condemning a racial slur used by a commentator during the Norman High basketball game on March 12 during its Tuesday night meeting.
Congress saw a resolution “opposing anti-LGBTQ+ violence and calling on the Oklahoma state legislature to commit to protecting its LGBTQ+ constituents,” as stated in the body agenda.
The “Love is Anti-Violence Resolution of 2021” reaffirmed SGA’s opposition to HB 1888, a bill prohibiting public institutions from conducting gender or sexual diversity training or counseling.
One of the authors of the bill, SGA Secretary Emily Tucker, said the house bill would strip public funds from several institutions that decided to conduct gender or sexual diversity training.
She also said a section of the bill demanding school staff to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents would have “absolutely disastrous consequences” for LGBTQ+ youth.
“In this resolution, we condemn that particular bill, we highlight some of the inequities that LGBTQ+ people face, and we call on the Oklahoma legislature to update their bill books to reflect Supreme Court precedents like Bostock v. Clayton County, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” Tucker said.
Tucker said through this bill, SGA is committed to “fighting for the queer community against violence that is not only physical but also legislative and institutional.” It also reinforces SGA’s recognition of the intersectional experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals and commends the OU Gender and Equality Center for their “essential services” to all students.
The resolution passed with a final roll call vote of 34-0-0.
Next, Congress saw a resolution condemning “racist language” used by sportscaster Matt Rowan during the Norman High Lady Tigers' basketball team.
Entitled “Fight On Norman High Resolution of 2021,” the resolution congratulated the Norman High Lady Tigers basketball team for winning the state championship and called on the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication to “seek accountability with media professionals.”
According to the resolution’s text, “it is the responsibility of journalists and broadcasters to hold each other and the institutions they represent accountable when derogatory, racist language is used.”
One of the authors of the resolution, SGA Communications Representative Katie Beltz, said the resolution is “incredibly important” to her.
“It is not only the person who used the racist language, (but also) the other sportscaster who is in the room where it happened,” Beltz said. “I believe it's incredibly important that we adopt this resolution today, and on top of that, I've talked with several of the leaders of Gaylord College who also believe this is a very important thing that we do.”
The resolution passed with a final roll call vote of 33-0-0.
Congress voted on the “Flexibility in Committee Membership Act of 2021," amending procedures for assigning committee membership and providing more flexibility in congressional operations.
SGA Congress Chair and bill author Crispin South said the bill will allow the chair of Congress more flexibility in determining committee memberships, allowing them to assign chairs in a more timely manner. He added the bill also allows members more flexibility to leave their committee or change their committee assignment.
South said if members realize they would rather be in a different committee, they can submit a request to the chair of Congress who, barring objections from the committee chairs, would publish a new list without the need for submitting and passing legislation.
The bill passed with a final roll call vote of 34-0-0.
Congress also considered the "Affirming Language in the Code Annotated Act of 2021," which removed "outdated language" in the SGA code annotated regarding the roles and responsibilities of the Director of Inclusivity, a position currently held by Mahak Merchant. The bill passed with a final roll call vote of 35-0-0.
The body saw the “Window Walk Resolution of 2021,” which collected data on campus buildings with windows and windows with shades or blinds to advise OU to utilize natural light through windows.
According to the resolution text, “natural sunlight can affect students, faculty, and administration in an abundance of positive ways, environmentally, academically, and mentally.” The resolution passed with a final roll call vote of 33-0-0.
Lastly, the body saw the “Get Your Awesome-Scholarly-Self Involved Act of 2021,” a bill amending SGA bylaws to increase members' involvement in the OU community.
SGA Associate and bill co-author Coy Taylor said the SGA constituent services will become a “point system”, where students have to complete one point, equivalent to one hour of service or engagement in the OU community, to not accrue an absence. If members receive 15 points, they will be congratulated at the end of the month, Taylor said.
The bill passed with a final roll call vote of 33-0-0.
