CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson University Undergraduate Student Senate held their first meeting of the fall semester on Monday, Aug. 24,2020. Conducted fully through Zoom with a virtual Pledge of Allegiance prefacing, the meeting contained a lot of information about the semester to come amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our bodies, our minds, and our souls [were] not made for lacking human interaction,” said CUSG Senator Davis Goodroe in his invocation of the meeting, addressing the past months of isolation due to the pandemic. “Human interaction is what we need, and it’s what is going to get us through this season.”
The meeting continued with reports from each of the Senate committees, starting with Academic Affairs. Of notable importance was COVID-19 procedural information from a meeting the committee held with the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, John Griffin. Final exams will be fully online due to insufficient in-person testing capacity, exemptions will be given from class for any health-related concerns and campus will be fully open for the last week of classes as of now.
Carson Wood, head of the Academic Affairs committee, reported that less than 10% of the Clemson student body opted for the fully-online option, which translates to roughly 1,700 undergraduate and 200 graduate students.
Following was the report from the Campus Life committee, which reported on the switch of Wendy’s to Peppino’s – a decision made by Wendy’s due to poor location performance [SRF1] and a desire to end their subcontract with Aramark, the dining provider at Clemson. Peppino’s will have the same late-night hours as Wendy’s, and Dining is currently looking into a food truck for supplementing additional demand.
The Finance and Procedures committee relayed the University announcement of the furlough program, which will help to generate $8 million in savings for the university. President Jim Clements and those working in Athletics with a salary greater than $400k will receive a 10% reduction in pay
The University has also set up a Special Events Board that will approve any events on campus this fall with more than 50 people in expected attendance.
The Health and Human Services committee gave mainly COVID-19 related updates. The University will be providing testing at NewSpring Church, with rides being provided through shuttle if needed. All on-campus residents will be required to have a negative PCR test result within five days of arriving on-campus; these tests can be provided by the university, but students will preferably be tested prior to their arrival. Off-campus students are not required to be tested.
“Please get tested,” petitioned Cassidy Smith, head of the Health and Human Services committee, at the end of her report.
Clemson has also implemented new Title IX regulations in the wake of the It’s On Us movement on campus.
The Inclusion and Equity committee had two notable points of interest. First, they are working alongside CODA, CUSG’s Council of Diversity Affairs, to “prioritize diversity and inclusion” within student government. Second, they are working with Clements on a Social Justice Task Force to enact change through the Clemson University Council on Diversity and Inclusion.
After committee reports, the Senate debated over one resolution and one bill: SR06, A Resolution to Express an Opinion on the Format of Student Education after Sept. 21, 2020 and SB14, A Bill to Create A Public Safety Advisory Board.
The Clemson University Undergraduate Student Senate meets weekly on Mondays at 7 p.m., currently on Zoom due to the closure of campus. The full agenda from the meeting can be viewed here.