Senate Beat is Finally at a Reasonable Time

Welcome to Senate Beat, a weekly column that covers and summarizes the public meetings of Reed’s student Senate.

This week’s first Senate Public saw senators mostly still at work scheduling meetings with the various institutions– such as the Bookstore, the Title IX office, and the Center for Life Beyond Reed (CLBR)– that they help advise.

Student Body President Andee Gude ‘26 and Vice President Jefferson Ratliff ‘25 will be participating in the newly-formed Presidential Council on Campus Climate, which, according to college President Audrey Bilger, seeks to “support an inclusive and affirming campus environment and to ensure that all individuals are free from discrimination and harassment.”

Senator Bella Moore ‘26 announced that the Harm Reduction Committee will be accepting 1–2 Student members for Sensible Drug Policy, Reed’s branch of an international parent institution. Senator Moore also floated the upcoming review process for the Senate Bylaws, which, among other things, set out the structure and mission of several bodies connected to Senate (such as the Judicial Board (J-Board), Restorative Justice Coalition (RJ), Sexual Health Advocacy and Relationship Education (SHARE), Honor Council, and Treasury, establishes funding procedures like the Funding Poll and identity–based funding, and describes how to treat the Student Body Endowment.

Senator Andrew Sakahara ‘27 announced new student trainings on sustainability and advertised the Office for Student Engagement resource fair this Friday at 11:30am in Kaul Auditorium, and a Sports Center open house with free food on September 20 at noon. Senator Sakahara also noted that the Portland Marathon will be running through campus on the morning of October 6.

The Appointment Committee nominated Maya Gutierrez as Vice Treasurer, and Finn Girvan ‘25 as KRRC Studio Engineer; both were confirmed unanimously by Senate.

After committee announcements, J-Board co-chair Kiana Fields reported from the audience that J-Board’s faculty advisors will be Keith Karoly, Lucas Illing, and Samuel Fey. Additionally, Area Coordinator Megan Simón announced that the Sustainability and Environmental Justice Collective (SEJ) will have a launch party on September 27 at 2:30pm in Garden House to introduce SEJ scholar and Reed alum Esmé Kaplan-Kinsey ‘24.

Senate Public is held every Monday in the Student Union at 4:00pm.