Special Business
Tuesday, March 3, Leo Jones ’27, a student representative from Alpha Phi Omega, the College’s gender inclusive service fraternity, delivered a presentation to the senate on the state of the organization’s campus escort program. Campus escort provides students with daily free golf cart rides around campus from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Last fall, APO’s campus escort accepted 225 rides. This semester, they have accepted 72 rides.
“We are hoping to bring those numbers up for next year as well,” Jones said.
Jones expressed concern over the condition of the golf carts and the need for significant repairs. The program currently uses two golf carts, one of which is electric and is unusable during the winter. Jones also said that the golf carts have faulty headlights, impacting visibility during nighttime drives.
“There was a point that they were just a bit too dim for the roads because we do drive a little bit on the roads,” Jones said.
The current contracted budget for APO, funded by the Student Assembly, is $6,500. The organization hopes to use this budget for repairs and to potentially purchase a third golf cart.
“It does appear that maybe you could buy a used old cart for the same amount of money we will have implemented at the end of this year, or supplemented by a couple thousand dollars,” Director of Student Leadership Development Anne Arseneau ’89 M.A.Ed ’92 said.
In addition to the presentation from APO, the senate heard from the new representatives from the Graduate Student Association, as well as Alma Mater Productions, on this year’s finances and programming. A representative from the Department of Diversity and Inclusion also addressed the senate on current and future initiatives.
New Business
Class of 2029 President Daria Lesmerises ’29 introduced the Trees to Chessboards Act. The bill aims to utilize excess lumber around campus to turn it into chessboards for student use. The bill will allocate $250 from Student Assembly Reserves for materials, and senators will work with the art department and facilities management to construct the boards.
“It’s just a great connection with [the] art department, and I’m talking with architects to see where we’ll put this,” Lesmerises said. “They also seem to be pretty down for this.”
Old Business
The Bolstering Ethics of Election Fairness Act Part 4
The senate unanimously passed the Bolstering Ethics of Election Fairness Act Part 4 (BEEF Act), sponsored by Sen. Jason Zheng ’26 and Historian of the Senate Sen. Quinn Clancey ’27. The bill stipulates that the Code of the Student Assembly be amended to establish a clearly defined deadline for posting referendum questions on the spring general election ballot.
“Question(s) must be presented with at least 250 William & Mary student signatures, with full names and issued William and Mary emails, submitted within 21 academic days before the General Election to appear on the ballot. The Elections Commission shall post the question written as provided by the petitioners,” the new clause states.
The bill also establishes a new measure for emergency referendums. Petitions with over 500 signatures from students submitted outside of the general election ballot will trigger an emergency referendum, which will be posted by the Independent Elections Committee written as provided by the petitioners.
Reallocation of Fall LDOC Beer Garden Funding Act
Senators unanimously passed the Reallocation of Fall LDOC Beer Garden Funding Act, sponsored by Chair of Finance Sen. Mackenna Wyckoff ’28, Sen. Christine Hwang ’28 and Lesmerises. With the Fall LDOC Beer Garden not taking place, the bill will allocate $5,000 of the previously allocated $12,000 to fund the Royal Ball.
The Earth Yay Act Part 4
The Earth Yay Act Part 4, sponsored by Wyckoff and Sen. Nicholas DeSante ’26, passed unanimously. The bill will allocate $1,369.50 for an Earth Day activity hosted by SA. The event will feature a live band, succulent planting and plant pot painting.
DISCLOSURE (03/23/26): This article has been updated by the Standards & Practices Editor to disclose that a subheading in the print version of this article incorrectly stated that Alpha Phi Omega requested additional funds for its escort program. In fact, the organization discussed how it plans to use its currently allocated funds. The online version has been updated.
