On Wednesday, Feb. 20, Student Senate convened and voted on seven pieces of legislature, all of which passed. Two of the bills were subjects of some debate, and a presentation on NCSU Transportation was held at the start of the session.

Cathy Reeve, director of NCSU Transportation, led a presentation on changes in the upcoming year. With the newly completed extension on Pullen Road, Reeve announced a new bus route to be implemented next year called Route 2 Spring Hill. Reeve said that five buses will be added in the next year.

In the following year, parking spots on Cates Avenue will be changed from student resident spots to employee spots, as student demand for parking in that area has decreased, according to Reeve.

Reeve also said the Coliseum deck is reaching the end of its expected life and will be torn down within a few years, costing approximately $3 million. A replacement deck is estimated to cost approximately $39 million, and the department is looking at alternatives such as replacing it with a rideshare location. The department is funded primarily through student fees and parking pass costs.

Two senators were appointed as Graduate and Lifelong Education Senators.

• Eliska Klimentova, first-year graduate student in chemistry.

• Miles Calzini, Ph.D. student in chemistry.

GB56 – Academics Update Act

This government bill aims to increase communication of major changes to the academic calendar through Student Government communication channels.

The bill passed with 54 votes in support, zero against and one abstaining. It moves to Student Body President Jess Errico, a fifth-year student studying mechanical and aerospace engineering, for her signature or veto.

GB57 – Wolfpack Students Advisory Board Act

The act seeks to establish a set of permanent, official rules against discrimination for the Wolfpack Students Facebook group. More specifically, the act would extend Student Code of Conduct and Title IX regulations to the group.

Previously, the rules were set by executive order from the student body president, but this would add the ruleset to the Student Body Statutes. Additionally, a Wolfpack Students Advisory Board would be created to oversee the rules and group.

This bill was subject to heavy debate. Senators supporting the bill argued it would help formalize the rules and prevent future student body presidents from massively altering the group. Opponents of the bill argued that the nature of social media is that of rapid change, so the rules would be counterproductive.

Additionally, some members of Student Government supported the idea of spinning off the Facebook group to be run by an alternative student organization.

Thirty-eight senators voted in favor of the bill, 17 voted against and two abstained from the vote. The bill passed and will now move to the student body president for her signature or veto.

AB54 – Spring 2019 Appropriations Act

This spring cycle’s appropriations bill allocates a total of $105,320 among 181 student organizations.

According to a report by Appropriations Committee Chair Zeenat Nadvi, a fourth-year studying biomedical and health sciences engineering, over $178,000 was requested by student organizations this cycle.

Nadvi clarified after the session that the committee had far fewer funds than requested, which is why the actual allocation amount is far lower than the requested.

The bill passed with 52 votes in support, one against and one abstaining. It will move to the student body president for her signature or veto.

GB63 – Assignment of the Floor Act

This government bill is a small change to the Student Body Statutes

Previously, in order to be recognized by the senate president, senators were technically required to stand or walk to the well of the Student Governance Chamber.

This rule has not been followed for the whole 98th session. Instead, senators have been recognized by Senate President Adam Schmidt, a third-year studying civil engineering, upon raising a hand.

The bill removes the standing rule, reflecting and affirming the Senate’s unofficial procedure of hand-raising

An amendment that would allow for hand-raising, walking or standing was also debated for a period of time but ultimately failed

The bill passed with 53 votes in support, one against and one abstaining. It will move to the student body president for her signature or veto.

GB58 – Wellness Department Addition Act

This government bill amends the Student Body Statutes to include the Student Government Wellness Department, a group that hosts events promoting wellness of the NC State community. The Wellness Department was created by executive order in August 2018, and the bill formalizes it

The bill passed with 50 votes in support, zero against and zero abstaining. It will move to the student body president for her signature or veto

FB72 – Leftover Appropriations Allocation Act

Following the appropriations bill that was discussed earlier, this finance bill moves remaining funds totaling $1,336.45 from the Appropriations Committee to the Finance Committee, as the latter committee has $5,000 worth of demand for funding at the moment

The bill passed with 52 votes in support, zero against and zero abstaining. It will move to the student body president for her signature or veto.

GB73 – Free and Fair Student Elections Act

The current Board of Elections does not have access to voting totals submitted in Student Body Elections since spring 2018, but should have access, according to the Student Body Constitution, Student Body Statutes and other documents

This bill intends to give the board the data it was missing, reaffirms the board’s power and empowers the board to administer the elections without interference. It was the subject of some debate, as Brian Garsh, Student Government adviser, argued that giving access to the board or the chair of the board could have ethical concerns, due to the nature of the software used for voting. The software also counts votes for other student elections, so a few senators were concerned about potential leaks of other elections from the board

Ultimately, the bill passed with 46 votes in support, two against and three abstaining. It will move to the student body president for her signature or veto.