The third legislature of the Graduate Student Government Association (GSGA) convened on Monday evening to approve funding requests from the Chinese Student and Scholar Union at Emory (CSUE) and Emory MeToo; renew charters; and discuss University-wide organization (UWO) policies and the GSGA budget.
Monday’s session was the first GSGA meeting with the newly elected legislators and executive board following last week’s induction. GSGA did not meet quorum because Candler School of Theology Representative Byron Wratee (18T) was not present, according to Acting GSGA Chief of Staff Kyle Davis (18B). GSGA requires that at least one representative from every school be in attendance to meet quorum. Instead, the legislature conducted “non-binding” votes and agreed to hold the official votes online following the session, Davis said.
In one of the non-binding votes, the legislature unanimously supported CSUE’s funding request of $500.
CSUE is a graduate-wide organization (GWO) that seeks to “enhance friendships” between Chinese students and scholars and “promote international recognition of China and … cultural diversity of the Emory community,” CSUE President Ru Ye (18PH) said. Jiayi Wang (18PH), Yiqing Xiao (21G), Qingyang Xiao (18G) and Ye represented the organization at the meeting.
CSUE lost its previous charter through Laney Graduate School’s (LGS) Graduate Student Council because the organization issued membership to too many LGS students, according to Ye. CSUE currently has 23 members enrolled in LGS, Rollins School of Public Health, the School of Medicine, the School of Law, Goizueta Business School and the College of Arts and Sciences.
The legislature also unanimously supported, through a non-binding vote, Emory MeToo’s funding request of $500.
Emory MeToo was founded by Tiffania Willetts (18T) to further the worldwide MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault.
Emory MeToo President Leslie Leonard (19PH) said that the group’s goal is to “promote education and advocacy related to sexual harassment across the University and the greater Atlanta area.”
Willetts, Leonard, Vice President for Advocacy Christina Meyers (19PH) and Vice President for Education Brynn Champney (24G) represented the organization at the meeting.
GSGA also unanimously supported, through a non-binding vote, to renew the charters of the six GWOs that are currently chartered by GSGA: the Global Health Institute, Graduate Christian Fellowship, LGBTQ+ Graduate Student Coalition, Muslim Student Council, Emory Pipeline and Emory Veterans Association.
The results of the official online vote were not available as of Tuesday morning, Davis wrote in an April 17 email to the Wheel.
GSGA President Sydney Kaplan (19L) did not nominate members of the executive board by Monday’s meeting.
The legislature voted to enter a closed session to discuss UWO policies and the GSGA budget.
Joshua Lee is a College freshman from Pittsburg, Kansas.
