By Long Beach State’s Associated Students, Inc. Senate confirmed two new associate justices to the judicial branch at its meeting Wednesday.
The two CSULB students are Jarret Boice, a third-year management information system major, and Michael Gallagher, a second-year computer science major.
“We need to analyze our grade appeal process and outreach to the impact of COVID-19 on recent semesters and ensure that every student who desires a grade appeal consultation receives one in a reasonable manner,” Boice said.
During the meeting, the senate unanimously approved the final reading of its 2020-21 Policy Agenda on Equity, Inclusion and Racial Justice, which is designed to help foster a culture of inclusivity within ASI.
In the near future, ASI’s Board of Trustees and Board of Control will be considering the first readings of an amended operating budgets for ASI and the University Student Union for 2020-21 following a lack of revenue after most services were closed on campus.
“When we adopted the current budget that’s in place… we had much different assumptions about revenues and expenses in the current year,” said Miles Nevin, ASI executive director.
A formal police report was filed with the University Police Department after a “Zoom bombing” incident at last week’s senate meeting in which a member of the public typed a racial slur into the meeting’s chat.
“When you look at the content of those messages, they really are hateful and race based and disruptive and inappropriate in every way, and that’s not something that should be ignored,” said Nevin.
ASI continues to receive complaints from students having difficulty adapting to distanced education.
According to Isabel Cameron, ASI senator-at-large, older and returning students are having difficulty with finding reliable tutorials to navigate Zoom and BeachBoard. She also said that older students feel alienated by the lack of a support group for older students provided by Counseling and Psychological Services.
Maya Jones, ASI commissioner of cultural affairs, said that international students are frustrated with a lack of payment options. She also said that some students are feeling “unseen” in the wake of tragedies like the killing of Breonna Taylor and the ongoing trial involving her death.
The CSULB Academic Senate has chosen to delay adding a basic needs amendment to its syllabi after approving it last year, according to ASI President Omar Prudencio Gonzalez. In the meantime, the Academic Senate has agreed to add the information to BeachBoard.
The senate reported an unmodified audit opinion for this year’s audit by the ASI Audit Committee and Board of Control.
The next Associated Students, Inc. meeting will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 30 via Zoom.
