After tabling it during the last meeting, members unanimously voted to support a bill calling for IU President Michael McRobbie to sign the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment before the end of the next ?academic year.
More than 650 college or university presidents have already signed the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment, according to the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment website.
These presidents have promised their college or university will complete an emissions inventory, take immediate steps to reduce emissions, set a target date for becoming climate neutral, integrate sustainability into the education experience and make the inventory, steps and plans available to the public.
“If we’re going to stabilize global warming below two degrees Celsius ... we have to have industrialized nations have carbon emissions down by 80 percent by 2050,” RHA Director of Sustainability Bronson Bast said. “So, if Indiana University in Indiana doesn’t have a plan to do that, I don’t think the state of Indiana will do that, I don’t think anyone else will do that. So I really think IU should be a leader and ?sign this.”
Bast said he will work with other organizations, including the IU Student Association and the IU Graduate and Professional Student Association, to draft and sign a letter to McRobbie encouraging him to sign the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment.
After tabling it at the last meeting, members voted 22 to one in support of a bill proposing that RHA create a sustainability grants program.
Center governments will request funding for capital projects in their residence and dining halls; the center governments will provide half of the funding and the program will provide the other half of the funding, according to the bill.
Though an original version of the bill stated that a new board, chaired by the RHA director of sustainability, would govern the program, an amended version of the bill stated that the existing RHA programming board would govern the program.
Members unanimously voted in support of a bill calling for a revised internal scholarship review process.
“We’ve heard a lot from the general assembly that there is a desire to have a better review process that provides more accountability by members and also allows there to be more constructive criticism given back, so that it can be applied and you can learn and you can grow throughout the year,” RHA Vice President of Internal Affairs Mark Wise said.
RHA currently comprises four executives, thirteen center presidents and eight directors, each of whom receives a scholarship — half during the fall semester and half during the spring semester.
Under a recently-passed compensation model, starting next academic year, executives will make $5,650 per semester, center presidents will make $4,000 and directors will make $2,000.
Though a review process currently occurs after members receive their scholarships in an effort to ensure accountability, a formal review process under the new bill, produced by the internal affairs committee, will occur before members receive their scholarships.
Those members who fail to meet their duties will not receive the second installment of their scholarship.
The internal affairs committee will also produce two informal reviews, one during the fall semester and one during the spring semester, and release an online review, open to all members.
“I put something in here about having online reviews, because I think that would be a very valuable tool for us as a student government, “ Wise said. “We all work around each other all the time and we feed off each other, and I think it could be really constructive.”
