Despite student senate elections getting closer every day, and only three general assemblies left for the current student senate body at Grand Valley State University, the senators are still working hard on projects to improve the campus environment for students. 

During the general assembly Thursday, March 15, senate discussed the ongoing search for a new dean of students at GVSU, voted to pass a resolution in support of two bills regarding gun safety that are currently in the Michigan House of Representatives and invited the Title IX coordinator to speak with them. 

The search for a dean of students at GVSU has been progressing for several months now, and in the first week of April, students might be able to catch a glimpse of a few of the candidates during their on-campus visits. 

“Currently, we have only an acting dean of students, Dr. (Stephen) Glass. We have been doing a search for the past few months,” said Jonathan Bowman, student senate president. “A few weeks ago, we went through resumes for a bunch of different candidates that had applied for the position, and we selected a few of our top candidates that we liked and wanted to see in person. 

“So, we met them for our interviews off campus on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. We got to interview them all and were able to give our recommendations of our thoughts on each of the candidates to the provost, and the provost is choosing three to four candidates to come and do on-campus visits. That will be happening in the first week of April.” 

By a secret ballot vote of 39 for, two against and one abstaining, the senate body approved a resolution written by two senators that will support two gun safety bills currently in the Michigan House of Representatives. 

“There are currently two House bills that are at the state of Michigan House of Representatives that are trying to support more gun safety, and so we have two senators that wrote a resolution about it, and they wanted to show support for those two bills that are currently in the House,” Bowman said. “So, we voted today to show our support of those two bills.”

Currently, Bowman believes this resolution should not concern students. There will be a process of getting this resolution, which expresses GVSU student senate’s support of these bills, in front of senators.

“I really don’t think there’s any immediate student concern with it,” Bowman said. “I think it just shows that Grand Valley student senate and the Grand Valley student body that we’re representative of, we support those two bills that are in the House right now.”

Theresa Rowland, GVSU Title IX coordinator, spoke with the senate body regarding the Title IX office, as well as the new responder advisers who will be available beginning next year. The student senate is currently looking for more ways to collaborate with the Title IX office and increase student engagement and awareness. 

GVSU’s student senate meets every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in the Pere Marquette Room of the Kirkhof Center for its general assembly.