At their weekly meeting, the Associated Students of the University of Arizona Senate moved onto new business along with consulting old business. The ASUA approved the Pride Alliance’s request for funding of a student’s attendance at an LGBTQ conference in Chicago that was presented to Senate last week. The Women’s Resource Center had interns from the Feminists Organized to Resist, Create and Empower, or FORCE, present their organization to the Senate and audience, with a funding proposal from the University Emergency Medical Services.
The WRC is a group on campus that highlights the advocacy on issues of gender equality, feminism and masculinity. According to its website, their mission is to provide programs and to education people on issues of sex, gender and equity with supportive conversation. The WRC provides internship opportunities for professional development, leadership development, education and activism.
FORCE was created to provide a safe feminist community on campus for all students and to educate others on feminism and social justice issues. FORCE is one of the many internship opportunities that the WRC offers. Its mission is to hold multiple events, and will be a large participant in SlutWalk 2015.
“One of our popular events is the Sip N’ Bitch, which is a discussion-based event within our Wednesday night feminist connections,” said Rhiannon O’Leary, executive director for FORCE. “It was created to have a community-based discussion on whatever the topic of the week is; there are also food and drinks.”
FORCE will be hosting the annual SlutWalk on Nov. 14 at 4 p.m. SlutWalk was created to end sexual violence and shaming. The event will feature guest speakers who have survived sexual assaults and who are willing to share their experience in order to start conversations about sexual assault.
O’Leary suggested that FORCE and the WRC would like to become more eco-friendly by supporting and participating in sustainability. FORCE will have a program called Stitch n’ Bitch this upcoming spring to share environmental-friendly feminist pharmacy products. The organizations are looking for more diverse programs in the future, which concluded the open discussion.
In the meeting, the University EMS chief, Zach Saxman, and assistant chief, Logan Ternes, requested funding for new iPads with OtterBoxes. The calculated total for four new iPads is $2,356 and with three the total will be $1,767.
Saxman explained that the new iPads would be used to communicate and help patients during emergencies. He said EMS currently has three iPads which will be given to the stationary unit to transfer all files electronically.
EMS is an all student-run medical agency that serves UA campus along with all of its students, staff and visitors. Its mission is “to provide quick, quality medical services to the students and faculty of the UA in addition to facilitating education about campus,” according to their website.
Saxman said EMS was founded in 2012 and since has evolved faster than any other collegiate EMS organization in history. EMS is available 24/7 during the fall and spring semesters. On average, EMS receives 700 to 800 calls per year, and received a record breaking 180 calls within the first week of this fall semester. EMS works closely with UAPD, Southwest Ambulance and the Tucson Fire Department.
“We are busiest around the holidays and receive only 40 percent of alcohol poisoning calls, but our community thinks that percentage is higher for some reason,” Ternes said. “We have a total of 49 EMTs and six first responders.”
Sen. Alec Kretch, was in favor of the EMS funding, while Sen. Joe Zanoni suggested other means of funding the iPads. The senate will decide the approval of funding at the meeting next week.
The ASUA Senate has now implemented a $25 fine to any ASUA clubs or any Greek organizaiton if rescritions are violated. Next week, the Students for Sustainability will meet with ASUA to dicuss the experience at the recent Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education conference.
“We are looking to do an open house with The Daily Wildcat,” said ASUA President, Manuel Felix. “We want to establish a relationship between ASUA and The Daily Wildcat; if they ever need us, we are here for them and vice versa.”
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