Ohio University Student Senate voted in favor of a bill to thank OU President Roderick McDavis for his 13-year career in Cutler Hall at its meeting Wednesday night.
McDavis' last day as OU's president is Feb. 17, and interim president David Descutner will take over Feb. 18.
“During President McDavis’ time here, Ohio University was one of the first public universities in Ohio to truthfully address issues of diversity and inclusion,” Christopher Glick, a graduate student studying political science, said. “He has faithfully fulfilled the Office of the President, and we should respect him.”
A letter will be sent to McDavis from the Senate to thank him for his service to the university “in an era that was at times extraordinary in nature,” the bill said.
The body voted against a resolution that would limit general body meetings to a maximum of two hours and 15 minutes.
The resolution would not allow meetings to go past 9:00 p.m. unless the body voted to extend the meeting until 9:30 p.m.
“A lot of times the discussion gets repetitive,” Clerk of Court Matthew Thomas, the bill’s secondary sponsor, said. “That happens constantly in the body, and this is a way to keep the body mindful.”
Student Senate Vice President Courteney Muhl said she was concerned about the time cap because it would put senate in a situation where it would have to place certain resolutions higher on the agenda in order to prioritize their time.
“I do not want this body to have to choose which resolutions are more important,” Muhl said.
Last week's Student Senate meeting lasted more than three hours due to debate on a bill in support of dropping charges filed against 70 students arrested in Baker Center earlier this month.
A resolution to compensate the judicial panel, which was reintroduced from last week’s meeting, also failed.
The remaining nine bills and resolutions passed, included a bill issuing support for student trustee voting rights. Patrick Roden and Brooke Mauro currently serve as the student trustees.
“We are able to have student trustees at the Board of Trustees, but at the end of the day, we don’t have a vote,” Chief of Staff Landen Lama said. “It is important to note we should be pressuring the university more over people not doing their jobs.”
A bill calling for greater transparency from the OU Board of Trustees also passed.
Now-former Trustee Kevin Lake, who was found guilty of evading more than $3.5 million in taxes, pleaded guilty to drug, tax and fraud charges and to prescribing illegal prescriptions to hundreds of patients each day. He stepped down from the board Jan. 21.
“He preyed on those battling addiction,” Governmental Affairs Vice-Commissioner and Historian Parker Smith said. “Student Senate can’t be held accountable unless (the Board of Trustees’) actions are transparent and people are made aware of that.”
Senate also passed a resolution to appoint a new international affairs commissioner, Amal Afyouni.
“There is a vacancy in the International Affairs Commission, and I could not think of a better candidate than Amal to take that role,” Muhl, the primary sponsor of the bill, said.
