A bill was passed to help fund the “Coffee with a Cop” event, a presentation was given on potential fee increases coming from the Board of Regents, and several senators resigned during the Oct. 1 meeting of the Senate of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada (ASUN).
The senate had a busy schedule this week, following last week’s meeting cancellation due to issues adhering to Nevada Open Meeting Law. The law requires ASUN to physically post an agenda in advance of the meeting. Speaker Leaf Acklin said that he did, but an anonymous report was made that the agenda hadn’t been posted properly. Upon investigation, one of the agendas was missing, and the senate meeting had to be cancelled in accordance with the Open Meeting Law.
Caleb Olster, ASUN’s director of ethics and compliance, urged senators to take photos as proof of when they physically post meeting announcements in case this happens again.
Public comment was given by former College of Science Senator Emma Doty, who expressed support for the UndocuPack program in light of legal investigations from the federal government. Doty also recognized the anniversary of the Oct. 1, 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas.
Comment was also given by Heather Brown, a member of the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents. Brown encouraged senators to reach out to her about issues they think are important and cast herself as an advocate for students.
A written comment sent in by Mark Meiszburger, a former senator for the College of Business, expressed support for the police partnership bill that the senate passed later in the meeting. Meizburger had introduced similar legislation as a senator during the 91st session in April 2024, which failed to pass.
Resignations
College of Business Senator Bella Packard and Reynolds School of Journalism Senator Taylor Moore both resigned via letters of resignation that were read aloud during the meeting. Both cited personal reasons in their decision. The positions will now be open for appointment, adding to the already empty seats in the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Engineering.
Presentations
ASUN’s Department of Government Affairs gave a presentation to the senate on what they learned at the September Board of Regents meeting.
They spoke about substantial increases to tuition and fees that may be coming soon. According to Government Affairs, the Board of Regents has determined that the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) needs to become more self-sufficient in the face of a state legislature reluctant to fund the system.
Government Affairs said they were told this would translate to an 11 percent increase in tuition and fees over a period of time. Exact numbers and timelines for increases have yet to be determined. Government Affairs also said that NSHE’s Chancellor, Matt McNair, would be visiting the ASUN senate later in the semester with more details on the incoming changes.
The University Police Department Northern Command (UPDNC), which serves as campus police at the University of Nevada, Reno, gave a presentation to the senate on recent crime statistics on campus and how the department operated. The presentation was given by Madison Eifert, UPDNC’s community relations specialist.
She said that the priority of UPDNC is to keep students safe rather than “bust them” and that university police do not enforce immigration law. She listed the capabilities of the department, which includes a drone team.
College of Liberal Arts Senator Viviana Castro asked if the university’s emergency text announcement system could be used to alert students to potential ICE presence on campus.
John Galicia, an officer with UPDNC, responded that doing so would “erode the whole emergency system that we use” and “create unnecessary panic” among students. Galicia stated UPDNC’s position that they don’t impede ICE operations on campus, but don’t necessarily further them either.
The undergraduate research office also gave a presentation on their department, talking about the opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research prior to graduate school or their postgraduate careers. They also discussed opportunities to publish research in the Nevada State Research Journal, a peer-reviewed academic research journal exclusively for undergraduates.
Legislation
“S.B. 93 – A Bill to Establish an Annual Day of Recognition and Support for UPDNC and Promote Campus Safety Initiatives” would use ASUN outreach funds, as approved by the speaker, to fund the annual Coffee with a Cop event. The legislation stipulates that the senate would cover 25 percent of the costs.
The bill also formally invites UPDNC to present to the senate each year, and pledges to increase student-police interaction and organize recognition events for the department, including “tabling, social media campaigns, and other outreach to increase student awareness and appreciation.”
Senator Matthew Hoang of the College of Business requested that future years’ funding for Coffee with a Cop come from ASUN’s executive branch. Speaker Pro Tempore Dillon Moss of the College of Education and Human Development said that the outreach funds are often unused, and that the funding should remain a senate expenditure to continue collaboration between them and UPDNC. Multiple senators expressed consideration for an amendment capping the amount that ASUN would contribute, but no motion was given to add such an amendment.
Senator Castro motioned to add an amendment to the bill to clarify that the money will come out of the senate’s outreach budget. The amendment passed.
The bill passed unanimously. Eifert briefly addressed the senate and said, “It’s going to really enhance the way we reach out to students.”
The discussion of this bill differed greatly from the deliberation during the consideration of the bill Meiszburger proposed during the 91st session, in which multiple senators expressed hesitation to support the bill without more input from students of color and community feedback. This time around, senate discussion only concerned the details of the senate’s financial commitment.
“S.B. 93 – An Act to Establish ASUN Standard Meeting Procedures” is a bill that specifies the bureaucratic meeting procedures for ASUN. Speaker Pro Tempore Moss moved to amend a variety of small language changes to the bill. These changes passed through unanimous consent.
Senators complained that they could not read the updated bill and discuss it in the time remaining in the meeting; the closure of the student union at 10 p.m. capped the meeting time at four and a half hours. A motion was made to table the bill and all subsequent bills for the Oct. 8 meeting. It passed unanimously, and the meeting was adjourned.
Riley Overstreet can be reached via email at roverstreet@unr.edu.
