Tuesday, Sept. 12, the College of William and Mary Student Assembly Senate met in the Sadler Center and passed three bills, including The COVID Emergency Response Act, which allocated $1,500 from SA Reserves to purchase 288 COVID tests. The Senate also swore in two new senators, elected new liaisons, and heard Sen. Matt Swenson ’26’s finance presentation.
Special Business
Nominations
Sen. Chelsea (CJ) Roberts MA.Ed. and Virginia Institute of Marine Science Sen. Quinn Girasek M.S. both took their oath of office and began their new term in the Senate. Chelsea succeeded Sen. Trinity Bea ’22 MA.Ed. ’23.
The Senate then unanimously elected Sen. Connor Cheadle J.D. as the new executive liaison, succeeding Secretary of the Senate Sen. Hazel Vineet ’25. In his introduction, Cheadle highlighted his experience as an undergrad student senator at Colorado State University, where he helped with the construction of its recreational center.
The Senate then also unanimously elected Sen. Connor O’Neill J.D. to the position of the Media Council liaison. O’Neill pointed to his knowledge of the prevalence of law journals which receive funding from the Media Council, and said he aims to educate senators with the business of the Media Council.
Notably, both nominees were asked to leave the room by Chair of the Senate Sen. Justin Bailey ’24 during the voting for both of their positions.
Finance Presentation
The Senate then heard from Swenson, who serves as the chair of the Finance committee. Swenson said the Organization Budget Allocation Committee has processed 80 purchase requests so far.
OBAC, which provides funding for Recognized Student Organizations, is composed of six SA undersecretaries of finance, six members of the Finance committee and the SA secretary of finance. Associate Director of Student Leadership Jennifer Leung also regularly attends OBAC meetings, which are public.
Swenson also said there is $912,348.03 currently left in SA Reserves, which is funded by the student activities fee. Swenson also said there is $768,311.58 left for RSOs in this fiscal year. $189,202.41 have been provided to RSOs so far this year, including $150,000 for Alma Mater Productions.
New Business
Sen. Sean Nguyen ’25 and Swenson introduced The Distribution of University-Branded Complimentary Keypers II Act (DUCK II). The bill aims to provide $7,000 for 3,000 key keepers at $1.99 per unit.
Class President Zoe Wang ’26 and Sen. Ashlynn Parker ’26 introduced The Sexual Violence Tertiary Prevention Act. The bill, which is supported by SA Secretary of Health and Safety Terra Sloane ’25, SA Undersecretary of Sexual Health and Title IX Affairs Rachel Bardon ’23 and Director of The Haven Liz Cascone. The bill aims to allocate $800 for promotional materials for Project Callisto.
According to the bill, the College gained access to Project Callisto over the summer, however, the College does not officially cooperate or collaborate with the project, as it is an outside resource.
“So I think there is benign neutrality on like, it’s not part of William and Mary’s initiatives, William and Mary isn’t taking this on,” Director of Student Leadership Development Anne Arseneau ’89 MA.Ed ’92 said. “And there’s no caution for Student Assembly around engaging with this, echoed by those entities.”
“So I think there is benign neutrality on like, it’s not part of William and Mary’s initiatives, William and Mary isn’t taking this on,” Director of Student Leadership Development Anne Arseneau ’89 MA.Ed ’92 said. “And there’s no caution for Student Assembly around engaging with this, echoed by those entities.”
Parker, in an email to The Flat Hat, detailed the specifics of the program, which was provided to her by the project.
“Callisto Vault was developed as a direct response to the fact that over 90% of college sexual assaults are committed by serial perpetrators, who offend an average 6 times before they graduate,” Parker wrote. “It is a suite of tools designed to help survivors navigate barriers and define their own pathways toward healing and justice. Within Callisto Vault, survivors can access two tools: the Matching System and Incident Log.”
Old Business
The Senate moved The COVID Emergency Response Act and The Subsidizing Sexual Health Resources Act Pt. 2 straight into old business. Both bills passed unanimously.
The COVID Emergency Response Act, sponsored by Sen. Spencer Krivo ’26, Class President Mia Tilman ’24, Vineet, Sen. Soleil Garnett ’24 and Sen. Matthew Hwang ’25, allocated $1,500 to purchase 288 COVID tests. Students can now obtain the tests from the Earl Gregg Swem Library circulation desk.
The Subsidizing Sexual Health Resources Act Pt. 2, sponsored by Tilman, allocated $350 for 70 pregnancy tests and $4,500 to subsidize the costs of 300 emergency contraception doses. Both can be accessed at the Student Health Center.
The Senate also unanimously passed The Pronoun Pin Part 3 Act, sponsored by Tilman, Sen. Daniel A. Bess ’24, and co-sponsored by Sen. Sophia L. Tammera ’24, Garnett ’24 and Bailey ’24. The bill allocated $200 for pronoun pins.
Also at the meeting:
- Student Assembly President Sydney Thayer ’24 announced a new series of weekly SA office hours, starting on Monday, Sept. 18.
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