Last Thursday, the Student Government Association (SGA) met over Zoom to discuss issues and proposals impacting the campus community.
A key topic at the meeting was Resolution SR 15, also known as the Hygienic-Product & Disposal Access Resolution. Written by business major Hayley Prins, the purpose of this resolution is to provide easier and “equal access to hygienic products and disposal for all students.”
This resolution advocates for having hygienic products, such as pads and tampons, readily available for students via vending machines and ensuring every campus restroom has a wastebasket for the disposal of these items.
The SGA anticipates a vote over this bill is to take place at their next senate meeting on Nov. 8.
SGA Vice President Abigail Weiler gave a brief report on the results of Roos Give Back from earlier in the month. The annual event, where students have the opportunity to give back to the community through volunteer projects, saw roughly 200 UMKC student and staff volunteers.
“It was a very successful event,” Weiler said. “It was a great chance for students to kind of reflect on their own individual volunteer goals and maybe find a connection to continue their work outside of just this event.”
Weiler went on to thank those who participated in the annual blood drive on Oct. 22, mentioning that there was a total of 66 students who donated blood, 34 of whom had never donated previously.
Towards the end of the meeting, there was an open forum section where students could showcase any upcoming activities or concerns. Among these speakers was earth & environmental science major Shane Reed, who presented a climate resilience plan to the SGA, seeking its approval.
“Last semester, I was a part of an independent studies class known as Sustainable Design, and we presented part of our UMKC resilience plan to you all,” Reed said. “I’m back, and I want to actually present the whole plan, the Climate Resilience Plan.”
Reed’s plan emphasized a need for more ecological resilience from the university and proposed methods such as planting more trees and native plants to increase healthy biodiversity, reducing greenhouse emissions, and having more healthy food to increase student health and wellness.
Speaker of the Senate Duke Porter tabled this topic to the Nov. 8 meeting, where Reed will be a guest speaker.
The final SGA meeting of the semester will take place on Nov. 29, where the SGA will vote on whether to continue future meetings in person or over Zoom for next semester.
