SG feeling heat from bill

The Undergraduate Student Government was confronted with diversity once again Wednesday, May 19.

Senators discussed the Student Diversity Collaborative — a 20-student body that was formed to add a direct voice for under represented members of the university’s community — but gallery comments brought up the failed diversity outreach the senate voted down March 31.

Taylor Birch, a third-year communications and sign language student, and Anthony Bolton, a first-year health education student, with the United Black Students Association of the University of Cincinnati, asked student body President Smith about what Student Government is doing to address diversity despite the failure of the bill to pass.

“I don’t want senators’ bitterness toward the diversity outreach bill to come up in this conversation,” said Shy Ruparel, an at-large senator emeritus.

Ruparel, an original author of the bill along with Sen. K.D. Miller, said he did not want people to misinterpret SG voting down the bill. Student Government still is working to address diversity problems across campus, he said.

“We’re still trying,” said Ruparel, who himself is an international student. “We’re still working.”

Although Smith did not vote on the bill when was first brought up in senate, he defended Vice President Mark Rooney’s opposition to the “incomplete” bill.

Rooney voted the bill down due to it not being inclusive enough, Smith said, and hoped the bill would be amended to include all senators, not just those with the at-large title.

Rooney is currently in Europe.

“If diversity is this huge buzz on campus, why are we only putting eight senators in charge of diversity?” Smith said.

The induction of cabinet members at the meeting also proved SG’s dedication to diversity, Smith said.

“I would argue that every single one of those [positions] is diversity outreach,” Smith said. “We don’t want people just going to the women’s center and doing homework for an hour.”

Smith stressed accountability among senators for office hours and claimed anyone not fulfilling obligations would receive a harsh punishment.

“I want to warn all you senators,” Smith said. “If you don’t complete your office hours, see you. You might want to find another student group.”

Student Government officials who do not complete office hours might be impeached, although there have been no cases in the past two years, said Lane Hart, internal holdover senator.

At-large Sen. Keenen Maull, however, was not convinced of Rooney’s reasons and claimed Rooney was on the record in meeting minutes saying he did not want to force any senator to commit to office hours that would make them feel “uncomfortable.”

The conversation ended, however, after senators felt many arguments were being repeated and voted to close it.

Ruprael, who said he wants to move on from the bill and instead discuss the
Student Diversity Collaborative, is keeping optimistic.

“[Change] is slow,” he said. “I’ll admit it’s slow, but it’s starting.”