Boston University Student Government approved two funding requests, formally created the Awards and Recognition Committee and heard the Judicial Advisory Commission’s Semi-Annual Report at its final meeting of the semester Monday night.
The JAC report’s research topics included rising tuition related to inflation, the impact of campus safety resources on crime trends from 2021-2023 and differences in Boston-area colleges’ approaches to political science and international relations programs.
The JAC is in charge of conducting research pertinent to StuGov decisions or any other research requested, according to JAC member Charles Albrighton.
In his presentation about on-campus crime trends and safety resources, Albrighton reported that while the majority of crimes on campus decreased or only increased slightly, reports of sexual misconduct increased by 158% in 2023.
Albrighton said that although the data was “alarming,” the increase could be used as support for bringing awareness to sexual misconduct and allow victims to feel more comfortable reaching out for support.
The Awards and Recognition Committee presented again after its initial proposal at the Nov. 18 StuGov meeting. According to Casey Kang, who presented on behalf of the committee at StuGov’s last meeting, the ARC will bridge gaps between which student groups receive recognition.
“The BU ARC will aim to bring visibility to underrepresented students and organizations and also inspire others to pursue impactful, meaningful initiatives and also build a stronger sense of community,” Kang said.
The ARC was approved with 31 votes in the affirmative.
Kang estimated the ARC will begin with eight members, but the next steps are to recruit more. Tang said he aims to include both StuGov members and students from various undergraduate colleges in the ARC.
StuGov’s executive cabinet directors presented an update on academic, city and environmental affairs, communications, events, engagement, social advocacy and sexual assault prevention.
BU Chaankar, Boston University’s premier all-female Bollywood fusion dance team, sought Senate funding to purchase vests for their costumes. When team members purchased vests for their themed dance earlier this year, they were lost in the mail, according to the team members who presented at Monday’s meeting.
“We’re trying to get this money back for our team,” Siri Yerramsetti, one of the team’s presidents, said. “Since the vests are an essential part of our costume, and we also have our members take money out of their own accounts to pay for things … we want to try and cover as much as we can on our end.”
The Senate approved their request with 35 affirmative votes.
The BU chapter of Engineers without Borders, a national organization that partners with under-resourced communities to foster sustainability, requested $541.19 to lower the cost of a borehole well, which the club plans to build for a community in Kenya to improve their access to clean water.
A borehole well is typically a vertical or horizontal shaft bored in the ground to extract water free of surface contaminants, sand and sediment. The organization has previously built a rainwater collection system and a borehole well at two other schools in Kenya.
The Senate unanimously approved their request.
The meeting concluded with a review of the Senate’s accomplishments throughout the semester.
