Correction appended
The Student Government Undergraduate Senate passed a resolution at its Nov. 6 meeting asking for additional trash cans in all campus bathrooms to supplement the existing paper towel compost containers.
In an effort to increase adherence to environmentally friendly compost containers in bathrooms, the Senate passed the “Resolution to Advocate to be More Proactive on Neatness… in Bathrooms,” commonly known by its acronym, “The TAMPON Resolution.”
The goal of the resolution, said Sponsor Class of 2014 Senator Abigail Finn, is to provide a receptacle for people to place non-compost -friendly items, such as feminine hygiene products, floss or tissues, so as to prevent mixing non-compostable items in the compost containers.
There was some dissent within the Senate, as expressed by Class of 2014 Senator Rob Battaglia, over whether these trash cans were actually necessary when there are trash cans in all residence hall lounges and laundry rooms.
“There’s a trash can in the lounge, and there’s one in the laundry room … Can’t you just walk outside two feet and use one of those?” Battaglia said.
Streetcar to Georgetown?
The Senate and the surrounding business district.
Before WMATA can even begin construction, local government must approve the plan through a series of legislative acts.
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E Commissioner Tom Quinn worked closely with former SG Senator Adam Daniel-Wayman to generate University support for a study of the system. That process is still in its early stages, and an operational system is still at least five years in the future, according to Senator-at-Large Joe Wisniewski, who sponsored the resolution. Supporting a study of such a system is an important first step in making the streetcar a reality, Wisniewski said.
“This is a very small step in a long process,” Wisniewski said. “It is certainly not something anyone here would see before graduation.”
SG president to meet with Board of Trustees
In preparation for his upcoming meeting with the Board of Trustees, Student Government President Tim McBride said in the Senate meeting that he wants to increase transparency of endowment funds, a major source of income for the University.
McBride also said he hopes to create initiatives, with the support of the Board of Trustees, to invest funds into community development banks. Using the resources of these institutions increases AU’s ties with the community and is more fiscally responsible for fund management, he said.
Confidentiality Rights
In his report before the Senate, McBride also announced that Sexual Assault Prevention Coordinator Daniel Rapapport and Women’s Resource Director Courtney Brooks now have confidentiality rights.
A former version of this article stated that Quinn was a D.C. lobbyist. He is an ANC 3E commissioner. The article also stated that he worked with Wisniewki, but he actually worked with Daniel-Wayman. Also, the article stated that the resolution expresses support for a streetcar, but it advocates for a study to see if the streetcar installation is feasible.
