Boston University Student Government approved the fall budget, confirmed new StuGov positions and endorsed a letter from the Student Body President to the BU administration concerning recent admissions diversity in its second senate meeting held Monday, Oct. 7.
Student Body President Akwasi Antwi presented a bill prompting the senate to endorse his letter to the University expressing disappointment in the recent 6% drop in admitted first-year Black students for the class of 2028, from 9% to 3%. This drop follows the United States Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to overturn affirmative action, or race-conscious college admissions.
“I’m encouraging BU to ramp up its efforts, to basically to see less numbers like this despite the law,” Antwi said to the senate.
Sophomore Michael Hong, a senator for the College of Arts and Sciences, said he urges his fellow senators to vote for a statement addressing the decrease in newly enrolled Black students. The statement, he said, would “help contribute to the diversity of the student body.”
“I strongly believe that diverse student backgrounds contribute to a rich college experience, and that’s what makes BU great,” Hong said.
After two 10-minute extensions for deliberation and a few edits to the letter, the bill passed with 36 votes in favor.
The StuGov Communications Department will release the letter through the StuGov Instagram, and it will be posted on the monthly email by the end of the week, said Antwi.
The senate confirmed new positions within the StuGov, including sophomore Isabella Maria Caruso as the new co-chair of the Impact Committee and new Co-Directors of Engagement junior Clara Yuhn and sophomore Esther Kim.
The fall budget was also confirmed, allocating $31,257.66 for the fall semester and $68,187.51 to the main account.
No budget was directed to the Off-Campus Council, which worked to subsidize meals to off-campus students during Ramadan last school year through the Iftar meal program along with other accommodations for off-campus students, according to the Vice President of Finance Kirsten Saint-Fort.
Fort wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press that the lack of funds was “disheartening,” but branch leadership is “eager to adapt.”
“While we no longer have the ability to support off-campus students with this funding approach, we are looking to continue the advocacy for this portion of our BU community,” Saint-Fort wrote.
Antwi said he talked to the Dean of Students about the issue and is planning to have meetings with Religious Life and the Dining Services Committee to ensure “subsidized meals for religious students.”
Hong also presented a plan to “streamline online resources,” like Terrier Transit, for the student body. Hong hopes to chair a committee dedicated to tackling the project if it is approved. He aims to centralize information for the entire student body, but especially for underclassmen and transfer students.
“We’re the student government, we’re here to make their [students’] lives easier,” Hong said.
