On March 20, NC State Student Senate held its 104th Session’s final meeting. They discussed the closure of Black Male Initiative (BMI) and Native Space, and new chancellor Kevin Howell. They also passed several resolutions, including ones that regard diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), protect student centers, and will develop a permanent International Affairs Department in Student Government.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the meeting items.
Officer Reports & Chancellor Howell
Prior to discussing legislation, Student Senate President Caroline Miranda spoke about the closure of the Black Male Initiative and Native Space living and learning villages. They said that NC State Housing has been advised not to talk to the media on the matter. The Nubian Message has not independently verified this information.
When asked if open forums existed where students can speak out regarding BMI closure, Miranda said, “[The] Senate is an open forum, and that could be a good place to utilize our voices.”
Student Senator Mary Ledford, chair of the Standing Committee on Government Relations and Oversight, said some villages, including the Students Advocating for Youth Village (SAY), are changing their mission statements to avoid closure issues.
“A lot of the villages—like International (Village) and like SAY—are working at the end of this month to change their mission statements to protect themselves from things like this. So I think that there’s been a lot of domino effect from BMI and Native Space being shut down. And so SAY Village is going to be Students and Youth instead of Students Advocating for Youth, because apparently advocating for youth is bad,” she said. The Nubian Message has not independently verified this information.
After that, Student Senator Naila Din asked Student Body President Allison Markert about Kevin Howell’s selection as chancellor. She asked what made the UNC System select Howell when previously they had chosen a conservative chancellor at UNC-Chapel Hill.
“That is a wonderful question; that was one of my biggest concerns going into this conversation within the search—seeing things that are happening within the UNC System,” Markert replied. “I can’t speak for the Board of Governors because they didn’t put anything out. But I don’t think that they were happy with social events that happened on campus, and I think that their chancellor appointment may have potentially been in efforts to constrain students. Because NC State—I don’t think, in their eyes—have had situations like that,” she said.
Resolutions Protecting Academic Success Centers
The Senate then moved into legislative issues. Four resolutions were passed: The LGBT Resource Center Protection Act, The Women’s Resource Center Protection Act, The Multicultural Student Affairs Protections Act, and The African American Cultural Center Protections Act.
“All four of these bills do essentially the same thing for our four university-sponsored student centers. With the passing of recent executive orders as well as other federal and state-mandated legislation, we believe it essential to pass proactive legislation to protect the existence of these student centers,” said Student Senator Bonnie Jo-Taylor, one of the bill’s sponsors.
Student Senator Chloe Webster, another bill sponsor, emphasized the resolutions’ proactivity. “We kind of were noticing how—at different universities—centers like this were disappearing, so we wanted to get on it, on the front end,” she said. “It’s a lot easier to protect these types of organizations before we lose them than to have to try and figure out how to reinstate them, as we’re seeing with our living and learning villages,” she added.
The resolutions, which were voted on in-block, passed with a 44-to-1-to-4 ratio. Only Senator Jack Biggs opposed the bill. Senators Ariana Bryne, Justin Pittman, Connor Rohlf, and Preston Spencer abstained from voting.
NC State Forward Together Act
The Student Senate passed The NC State Forward Together Act, which will “provision a joint path forward for NC State University in a post-DEI policy higher education system.”
Student Senator Jodie Roberson supported the resolution, saying, “As a person from a rural area, who has spent the last two years in my life studying rural areas, and as a person with a disability—I had a traumatic brain injury—I have been included in things because of that (DEI). I’ve been given a little extra time to do something. It’s not that I couldn’t do it, I just needed more time.”
Student Senator RayShaun Williams, who is from a small town, also supported the resolution. “Like, a lot of the things that I’m beginning to learn and get involved in now require lots of recommendations, require lots of network building and things of that nature. And where I’m from, like many people in my community—it’s not that they’re not intelligent—they just don’t have the opportunity to platform, nor the network, to even begin to do the things that many of us do now,” Williams said.
The resolution passed 40-to-7-to-1. Senators Jack Biggs, Madison Hardwick, Paul Lewis, Justin Pittman, Connor Rohlf, and Preston Spencer voted against the resolution, while Senator Ariana Bryne abstained.
International Affairs Department Act
The Student Senate passed the Permanent International Affairs Department Act with an automatic veto override in place. This means that if Student Body President Allison Markert attempts to veto the bill, the Senate will automatically override the veto without further discussion.
The resolution establishes “a permanent international affairs department within the North Carolina State University Student Government to support international students and students affected by global conflicts, foster community engagement, and enhance advocacy on international issues.”
Student Senator Shatha Boaj, who sponsored the bill, said, “We must recognize the importance of this department in light of the ongoing global conflicts in other countries, especially in Palestine. The struggles faced by students from regions that are facing these conflicts cannot be overstated.”
The veto override is not common practice. Miranda said, “This is the first time that a vote to override has been written out so in terms of amendments, or just in general.”
Markert commented on the veto override, saying, “I just don’t want this to be misrepresentative of my values. Personally, I hadn’t engaged in any conversations or alluded to the fact that I would veto this; just saying I hadn’t been looped into any conversations. I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, but, you know, I started SSGC [Student Government Select Department on Student Support for Global Conflicts], so it is a value of mine.”
The call for an override likely stemmed from Markert vetoing the Call For A Permanent Ceasefire Act in 2024, despite 30 votes for the bill and more than 32 student organization signatories on the bill. This attracted criticism from many, including Student Senator Naila Din, NC State Dissenters, and the NC State Young Democratic Socialists of America.
The call for an override passed, meaning a three-fourths vote would be required to pass the bill. The bill passed 48-to-1-to-0, with only Student Senator Preston Smith voting against the bill.
For further information, the meeting’s agenda contains details on the resolutions brought to the floor.
