The Cleveland State University Student Government Association (SGA) senate passed a resolution at its Nov. 17 meeting addressing the impact the Israel-Palestine war is having on students at the university.

The SGA senate addressed the issue due to the number of students calling on CSU's student government to speak up about the negative impact the conflict is having on students at a campus which has a diverse student population.

“I stand before you to express my unwavering support for this resolution authored by myself, co-chair Shaw, and sponsored by Senator Sam Shaw, Lincoln Jackson,” said Joseph Nappi, Senator of the Edge. “We need to take action as the world navigates through the complexity of ongoing events in the Middle East.” 

The resolution, which can be read in full here, seeks to prioritize the mental health of students and provide additional resources on campus for mental health.

The resolution also criticized CSU's President Laura Bloomberg, Ph.D., and the Board of Trustees due to their initial statement about the conflict sent to the campus community on Oct. 13.

“We call upon President Bloomberg and the Board of Trustees to act to recognize the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Palestine,” Nappi said. “Further, the Public Policy Committee will actively track the progress of this resolution, and we will commit to continuous evaluation, ensuring necessary adjustments to gauge the effectiveness of our efforts and to ensure that we are putting students first.” 

Other business

Next were updates by the SGA's executive board and director, including the director’s update about the chief of staff of the SGA amending the description of the position role.

“I am in a gray area as I operate on both sides of SGA. Both the executive branch and the legislative branch,” said Adam Royko, chief of staff for the SGA. “While I'm able to fill these duties and responsibilities, I believe that this can cause an unnecessary burden and stress for future individuals in this role and can maybe prevent them from faithfully executed.”

Royko said this would allow for an effective focus on roles, and found support at the meeting.

“I think that that takes a lot of humility and a lot of thought,” said Senator of Edge Joseph Nappi. “To come up in front of all of us and say that you think that your position should be revised in a way so I appreciate what you said."

The SGA decided to take up Royko's proposal at its next Senate meeting.
 

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The Senate also passed a resolution calling on the administration to “recognize issues with campus Wi-Fi networks.” Senator Jack Whitman of the Honors College proposed the resolution for student complaints about the university's Wi-Fi system being unavailable or shutting off on campus.

“It is making it difficult for students to complete their coursework and access essential resources” Whitman said. “These main issues include the main network being inaccessible during the evening hours and the wireless network will go out or be otherwise unusable during the day." 

The SGA said it would work with CSU's students affairs committee, the university administration and IS&T to create a plan within four weeks to address the issue.

The next and final senate meeting hosted by the SGA for fall 2023 is scheduled for December 8 from 3:40 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Berkman Room 201.