The Senate of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada (ASUN) passed their revised budget and heard presentations from Nevada Dining and Residential Life at their meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Because of Cornell University inadequately disciplining the seven men who allegedly drugged and gang-raped Jane Doe in 2024, multiple senators shared public comments on sexual violence against women.
11 senators spoke up against the alleged Cornell rapists during the meeting.
“Accountability can not begin only after someone has been hurt,” said Senate Speaker Jason Issa.
College of Science Senator Brianna Scherschel said that she had recently been hurt by a fraternity member she had considered a friend, similar to Jane Doe.
Multiple other public comments from University of Nevada, Reno students were also given addressing the topic.
Emma Silveyra said that survivors are not alone and asked the room to sit in silence for seven seconds to represent the seven hours during which Jane Doe was raped.
Written comment from Assistant Director of Government Affairs Aidan Casey described the alleged rapists’ actions as repulsive.
ASUN President Dillon Moss also commented that men have a responsibility to actively challenge rape culture.
Ryan Rushton, a member of ASUN’s Department of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA), also gave public comment, asking senators to delay taking action on proposed legislation that would change the department’s name.
Rushton said the department had not been consulted before the legislation was created, and asked senators to table the legislation until proper outreach had been done.
The legislation was not tabled but approved for first reading and referred to the Government Operations and IDEA committees. The senate’s IDEA committee is a separate entity from ASUN’s IDEA department.
If enacted, the Department of IDEA and Committee of IDEA would be officially renamed to the Department of DEIA, which stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility.
ASUN’s revised budget for this year passed unanimously with no questions or debate. Readers can view the revised budget here.
Before getting to their proposed rate increases for housing and dining for the next year, Nevada Dining and Residential Life presented an overview to the senate of the services they provide. If the proposed new rates are approved, housing rates would increase from $7,000-$11,000 to $7,200-$11,300. Meal plans would also go up from $4,888-$7,488 to $5,083-$7,787 next year.
Nevada Dining’s Resident District Manager Jonathan Marks said The Overlook would be renovated during summer 2027 with the goal of making it a more distinct destination from the Joe Crowley Student Union.
Marks said they are trying to add a QDOBA to The Overlook and have already secured an Indian barbeque restaurant. He went on to say the refurbished interior would be “lodgey” like something out of Lake Tahoe.
