ICYMI: RUSA Spring 2016 Recap
From medical amnesty to sexual assault, the Rutgers University Student Assembly passed a number of bills this spring semester geared toward helping the student body.
To start off the semester, RUSA passed a a resolution in January titled “Resolution for RUSA to Support the Selling of Alcohol in Rutgers Athletic Stadiums.”
The resolution, which mimics other Big Ten schools, allows the sale of alcohol in stadiums in order to generate revenue and fund other campus organizations, such as Rutgers Counseling, Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program and Psychiatric Services (CAPS).
“As the voice of the undergraduate students, we believe that (they) would want that from the current administration," said Connor Munsch, a RUSA member and School of Arts and Sciences first-year student.
University President Robert L. Barchi said he was “cautiously supportive” of the resolution at RUSA’s March 3 town hall meeting. He believes the resolution will need to be researched further.
Next on the agenda was a medical amnesty report adopted by RUSA. The report urges Rutgers administrators to change their rules on how underage students are punished when they call the police or other authorities when drinking or consuming drugs at the University.
Currently, the University punishes students for not adhering to their guidelines. The RUSA report suggests an “education intervention” program that would require students to work with Rutgers officials to show reformation.
“They’re protected from trouble with the law and I think it’s important to have it at Rutgers,” said Matt Panconi, former RUSA president and Rutgers Business School senior. “We don’t want someone that is afraid of calling the police to get in trouble just for helping out.”
One month later, RUSA passed a “Resolution to Support a Diversity Core Curriculum Requirement.”
The bill proposes one course on national diversity and one on global diversity. Each course requirement will replace an already existing core requirement from the 21st century and arts and humanities current core requirements, meaning the new requirements will not add additional coursework to the core, according to The Daily Targum.
Yasmin Ramadan, one of the authors of the bill, was a member of the task force designated to enhance the core curriculum under Dean Peter March of the School of Arts and Sciences.
“We are diverse in name and not in academics,” Ramadan said.
This article is part of our Spring 2016 Perspectives edition. Find the full issue here.
Avalon Zoppo is the managing editor of The Daily Targum. She is a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore majoring in political science. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo for more stories.
