Student body vice president and senior Matthew Devine said he has been very proud of the “work and commitment” of the senators during the semester.
“I have loved meeting and working with Senate this year,” he said. “Its members are some of the brightest and most enthusiastic leaders of the campus community. We are all working together to better our University.”
Senate has already taken serious steps in addressing widespread issues this semester with the rise of campus safety concerns.
“Campus safety has been at the forefront of our conversations most recently,” Devine said. “Following the Safety Summit at the beginning of this year and in response to the most recent off-campus crime reports, Senate began to discuss ways to both protect and educate students about how to live and work safely both on and off campus.”
To address these issues, Senate has “enhanced interactions” with the South Bend police and Notre Dame Security Police (NDSP) to increase student awareness of safety resources and is in the process of making a campus safety video. Most noticeably, the implementation of O’SNAP at the beginning of the year has taken serious steps to improve campus safety.
At the beginning of the semester, Senate met with the Office of Information Technology (OIT) to discuss the new printing quota system and concerns that were voiced by the student body.
“[Senate] functions simultaneously as a forum for discussion and conversation about some of the most important aspects of student life and the University at large, while also acting as a podium to voice student opinions,” Devine said.
In response to student concerns revolving printing quota, there is now a working group of Senate members tasked with creating a new system.
Devine said Senate plans to continue addressing issues related to campus safety and mental health of students and to continue discussing some of the more short-term goals such as University’s policy towards auditing courses, revision of the DARTing and class search processes, sexual assault prayer services, national engagement and the distribution of daily press clips and library renovations.
Senate has taken steps to address the issues a majority of students find most important to campus life. The group has also shown strong commitment to meeting the needs of students and making changes that directly affect the quality of their time at Notre Dame.
Grade: A-
