President Donald Trump’s immigration ban brought forth discussion within the Associated Student Government (ASG) meeting on Feb. 22 about how the ban may affect students at Colorado Mesa University.
The discussion was brought up due to students requesting a response from ASG President Ben Linzey concerning the immigration ban. Linzey responded by saying that ASG needs to take action rather than release a statement.
“A statement is just words and I think that we can be really evaluated by the actions we have as students on this campus,” Linzey said.
ASG went into more detail on how they plan to respond in regard to potential issues CMU students might have with Trump’s immigration ban. The majority of the senate was not in a hurry to release a statement because students are not directly affected by the ban.
The Campus Resident Senator, Kevin Kahuena, advised his fellow senators to become involved with different diversity alliances before issuing any statements.
“In the case of being able to issue a statement, we must first be able to go and pull to our different Cultural Diversity Board meetings,” Kahuena said. “I think in order for us as a governing body to make that statement, we must all be able to go to these different alliances and get involved with it, so we all make the right choice on what verbiage that we say.”
Students on campus like sophomore Rachael Black also had thoughts on whether or not ASG should be releasing a statement.
“I think if we didn’t have one, you’re not excluding students of diversity, but you’re not showing that you’re going to try,” Black said.
If ASG does choose to release a statement in the future, they will not be alone. Iowa State’s student government took action with this matter as well, releasing a statement on Feb. 2. This statement encouraged emotional support for students as well as faculty that may be affected.
Besides discussion on the immigration ban, ASG passed a bill to allow the Sculpture Guild to attend the National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art and Practices in Birmingham, Ala. Students will be competing with a cupola furnace, which they are making themselves.
ASG also approved funding the Psychology Club to attend the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association Convention, where the club members will be presenting their own research which was accepted into the conference.
