Senator Jacob Schilling followed up on the failed censure of former Senator Matt Miller at the Student Government Senate meeting Wednesday.
Miller resigned as a senator Sunday via email.
In his email resignation, he stated his rationale, including:
“I pray no one in Senate ever sees any form of public office, but unfortunately we live in goyim moron hell,” Miller stated in the email. “You have not separated personal biases from the professional Student Government sphere. I can see in your eyes, whenever I look at some of you, that you are just performing and just blankly running mouths. No light or souls detected.”
Miller responded for comment Wednesday evening via email.
“It increasingly seems that many people involved are primarily interested in making connections, gaining approval, and positioning themselves socially and professionally,” Miller stated. “I don’t see enough interest in using the minuscule voice that the university gives Student Government to advocate for issues students actually care about.”
Miller went on to explain that he firmly disagrees with the censure.
“I find Bernal’s representations about it, combined with what I believe was an extraordinarily mishandled investigative process, deeply concerning,” Miller stated. “Only like 7 senators in US history have ever been censured.”
Miller said he believed that if he hadn’t resigned, senators would’ve kept bringing him up on ‘minor and manufactured violations.’
Miller did not attend Wednesday’s meeting, but Schilling addressed the failed censure.
“From a student’s perspective, I believe we had an opportunity to hold a senator accountable for not fulfilling the duties of his position, and we didn’t,” Schilling said. “That sets a bad precedent. Student Government has bylaws for a reason.”
Schilling went on to state that bylaws are not a suggestion and should be enforced.
“Your decisions and actions have consequences,” Schilling said. “If Student Government isn’t willing to enforce its own bylaws, then students have every right to ask what those bylaws are there for in the first place.”
Senators denied a $7,367.31 funding bill for the men’s hockey club to cover the cost of competition travel and ice rental (0-21-1).
The men’s hockey club has a D-1 and D-3 team within the same student organization. The club requested funds only for the D-3 team.
Vice Speaker of the Senate Ryker Markus asked if the bill failing would mean that the hockey club would still be able to fund all of the travel and ice time.
“Yes,” Dylan Hender, president of the club, said.
Kelly Shaw, co-director of the Center for Cyclone Civics, and Haley Stiles, a postdoctoral research associate at the Center for Cyclone Civics, addressed StuGov.
“Only half, 51%, of Iowa State seniors report that Iowa State contributed to their knowledge and development of being an informed and active citizen,” Shaw said.
The Center of Cyclone Civics aims to increase civic literacy, understanding and education. One way the center accomplishes its goal is through sponsoring the America 250 lecture series.
Shaw also discussed HF 2800, a law that requires all students graduating from a regent university to take a course in American history and American government beginning in 2028.
Stiles shared that the American Political Science Association recently approved Iowa State Digital Press and the Center for Cyclone Civics to start a Journal for Civic Engagement. The journal will publish research on civic engagement and dialogue in classrooms and communities.
Senators approved a $1,639.42 funding bill for Hindu YUVA to cover the cost of transportation to registration for the Dakshata Leadership Conference.
StuGov then approved the transfer of $20,000 from the Special Projects Account to the Green Initiatives Account. This will bring the sum of the Green Initiatives Account to $50,000, as required by bylaws.
Senators swore in Macy Philipp, a freshman studying agricultural and rural policy studies, as a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Senator.
StuGov sat At-Large Legislative Ambassador Violet Bode, a junior studying human resource management.
The Local Affairs Committee sat Ivy College of Business Senator Maksymilian Koziel, a freshman studying supply chain management.
StuGov conducted a first reading on a $3,850 funding bill for ISU After Dark Workspace crafts.
The next StuGov meeting will take place Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union.