The University of Kentucky Student Government Association (UKSGA) voted to put off the “Y’all Means All” Resolution and send it back to the committee for amendments.
The text of the resolution, which has not yet been made public, said it (the resolution) would “reaffirm UKSGA’s commitment to inclusivity, equity, and advocacy for all students.”
UKSGA voted 18-11 in favor of tabling the resolution in the Gatton Student Center Senate Chamber on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
UKSGA Sen. Anaya Ali said she wrote the resolution herself intending to make a statement about recent anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) legislation and to stand up for UK students.
Ali said she is going to be running for reelection but is unsure if she will win again.
“Before anything else, I am a daughter of two immigrants, I’m a Muslim woman, I’m a woman in ag (agriculture), all titles that I hold really close to myself,” Ali said. “I wanted to make sure I left UKSGA with a piece of work that I was proud of and that my name was on and would positively affect the student body.”
The resolution was met with opposition when it was introduced during the meeting and was discussed for an hour before being tabled.
UKSGA Sen. Jordan Stull motioned to table the resolution and send it back to the Operations and Evaluations Committee (O&E), where the resolution originated.
Vice Chair of O&E Colleen Bolstic seconded Stull’s motion. While she co-sponsored the resolution, she said she had concerns about some words used in the legislation after speaking with some people in the UK Rosenberg College of Law.
“With DEI, we want to make sure that our wording is very careful and that we do not use or go against what the university has mandated for the UKSGA and other student organizations across campus,” Bolstic said. “I would rather take the time to take out those statements and reword it to make sure that we are not impeding on anything.”
Bolstic said UKSGA is an organization under UK, and because of that has to abide by university guidelines in order to maintain its role in advocating for students.
“We do not make any political statements. We are very in the middle, we do not take one side or the other,” Bolstic said.
Author of the resolution Ali said she hoped the people who voted to table the resolution would tell her what amendments they wanted to see incorporated and work together with her.
“I was told by multiple senators tonight that if we tabled this to move back to committee that they would personally amend it and personally vote yes on it,” Ali said. “I want you to look at this resolution not as a political statement but as a reach out to the student body saying ‘We hear you, we support you and we know that we can do better.’”
In order to be sure the resolution does not contain language that could be viewed as biased, Bolstic said more people should be consulted.
While the resolution was not passed, Bolstic said because it is being sent back to its committee, the writer and committee will have time to make necessary changes and amendments before bringing it back to the full senate meeting in two weeks.
UKSGA Senate Chair Kiersten White said the resolution was pushed through the committees unusually fast because legislation normally goes through the committee once or twice.
White said she believed with two weeks of amendments, the resolution should properly reflect the student senate as a whole.
“I’m not going to say it will (pass) 100%, I believe it will,” White said.“I think with amendments and changing some verbiage it will pass O&E and come back to senate in two weeks, I see a world where it passes.”
