DeKALB — In an unanimous vote, Jonah Stuckey was approved as the 17th SGA Senator on Sunday. Stuckey, junior and rookie to Student Government, is nonetheless determined to make an impact on campus. 

Stuckey used his time with the floor to address concerns with parking, understaffed busing and the disparity seen in the funding of organizations for people of color here on campus. These concerns, along with his interest and knowledge of finance, have pushed him to pursue the Finance and Parking committees as a senator. 

He received praise from senators that knew him, speaking to his determination and dedication to this new responsibility. The Senate Historian James McCue went so far as to describe him as “a dog with a bone” with this position.

Petition to add grief policy 

The SGA has passed its first petition of the year 16-0-0, which will act as a redress to the university condemning its handling of the passing of Tyler Madison and a request that an official NIU grief policy be implemented.

Among the wrongdoings listed was a failure to inform students and community members of the event before the media got a hold of it and the expectation that students and staff were to carry on as normal in the wake of the event. This included not making attendance accommodations for those affected by Madison’s death and expecting students and faculty to attend class in the hall and even the classroom where Madison was found. 

Before the petition was passed, it was brought to the attention of the SGA senate that NIU had waited to inform the student body of what had happened in order to make sure that the Madison family was comfortable with that first. This was acknowledged as a noteworthy point in the university’s favor, but as it did not entirely address the Senate’s concerns, the petition still passed.

Encourage students to use campus resources 

The SGA has also passed a new resolution addressing the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

This resolution condemns the violence perpetrated by Russian military forces and stresses the Senate’s grief over the harm that will come to common people, both Ukrainian and Russian, over the course of this war. 

It ends by encouraging students affected by the conflict, such as foreign exchange students and students with Ukrainian families, to utilize the campus resources available to them. 

While there was some concern that international issues such as this were outside of the scope of the SGA, Senator Harvey Green reassured the senate that “international issues affect Huskies too,” He reinforced this claim by citing his own Jewish heritage and the concern he feels over the Ukrainian-Jewish communities affected by this conflict.

NIU welcomes ceramics club

NIU Ceramics has officially been recognized as a student organization, allowing it to receive funding from the SGA. 

Students will now be able to find ceramic staples such as bowls and cups that were praised by one senator as “very good” after he received one as a gift from his girlfriend. The question of a conflict of interest was raised, but jokingly dismissed by Senate Speaker Dallas Douglass.