Boston University’s Student Government endorsed the ResLife Union’s strike, agreed to promote an event at the Pardee Center and talked about preparations for BU’s “Vote!” Day at this week’s meeting Monday.
StuGov approved Senate Resolution 27, which endorses the ResLife Union strike that, if authorized, is set to begin on April 12. The resolution calls for StuGov to release a statement of support for the ResLife Union and the strike as well as continued support for the union on social media.
Adam Shamsi, a current graduate resident assistant and a student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, presented an overview of the ResLife union and their plans for a strike beginning April 12.
According to him, the union is advocating for “safe, healthy living conditions for all” on campus, better training for RAs as well as “workplaces free of discrimination and harassment.”
“A lot of RAs go through a lot of religious, identity-based harassment for any number of reasons and we have no way to report it right now other than typical like Title IX officers,” Shamsi said. “We don’t have an HR department. Our boss is our landlord.”
The strike would be from April 12 to April 15.
Additionally, StuGov affirmed an endorsement to help promote the Pardee Center’s 2024 Anthony C. Janetos Memorial Distinguished Lecture.
The event, which will be held on April 23, is titled “Is the End of Globalization Over?” The speaker for the event is the former president of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo.
Alessandro Iaia Hernandez, a junior in CAS and former vice-chair, requested media endorsement and support for the lecture, since the Pardee Center does not have a media team.
“Right now a lot of people who are informed about this event are generally professors and not the student body,” Iaia Hernandez said.
Iaia Hernandez asked StuGov to help create an Instagram visual aid to post on StuGov’s Instagram account.
“I can’t stress enough how cool it is that BU is able to bring a former president of Mexico to come and speak,” student body President Dhruv Kapadia said. “And especially on a topic like this. Globalization is always a pressing issue when it comes to domestic politics.”
Tony Wu, civic engagement officer for city affairs and a sophomore in CAS, asked for additional staffers for BU “Vote!” Day where colleges at BU will participate in campus-wide voter registration.
“We have staffers at pretty much every single college, every single shift,” Wu said. “At this point, we’re just looking to fill some miniscule one hour shifts that may be left out.”
The event will be held this Wednesday, April 10.
