The Student Senate unanimously passed two resolutions regarding personal identity through first readings at Tuesday night’s meeting.
One resolution recognizes the commitment of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs and other student organizations to advocate for undocumented students.
Coauthor to the resolution and Internal Affairs Director Brett Oehrle said the resolution was written after he attended a training session called “UndocuPeers.”
The session was put on by MCDA, Oehrle said. It provided information about the challenges facing undocumented students and the revoked Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program known as DACA.
Undocumented and DACA students can experience financial worries and stress because of their status, Oehrle said at the meeting.
“I thought that as a member of Student Government representing the entire student body, regardless of their documentation status or any other identity they have, that we really recognize these students and let them know that we support them,” Oehrle said of the resolution.
The second resolution celebrates June as Pride Month. It came complete with a title line written in the colors of the rainbow.
Student Body President Ian Green also released an executive order recognizing the celebration of Pride Month on Monday.
It is important to recognize the discrimination still faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community, Senator Rachel Belinski, a coauthor to the resolution, said at the meeting.
Discrimination against members of that community is illegal in less than half of the 50 states, Belinski said.
“A resolution is a great place to start, but it’s definitely not a place to stop,” Belinski said.
Follow Gillian Sweeney on Twitter @gilliangsweeney and contact her at gsweeney@alligator.org.
