Samuel Larreal | Staff Writer
With only one senate meeting left in the calendar, a late-term student government resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza faces an uncertain path to the senate floor.
The document still has to go through the Rules and Administration Committee before a full Senate vote. A refusal from the committee chair to immediately consider the resolution has drawn criticism from proponents of the resolution, which was written by students and presented by student government senators.
On Nov. 20, approximately 30 FIU students attended a senate meeting held on Zoom as guests in support of this resolution, urging the senate to amend the meeting’s agenda to vote on the piece of legislation.
Co-signed by Senate President Kaily LaChapelle, Chair of the Student Life and Academic Concerns Committee Daniel Salup-Cid, and SIPA senator Zahir Mansuri, the “Ceasefire Now!” resolution would support a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza strip and urge FIU to stand in solidarity with Palestinian students.
[embeddoc url=”https://panthernow.com/wp-content/uploads/S.R.-04-014-1.docx”]Ceasefire Now! Resolution
“Since the horrible attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7, the Israeli Defense Force has launched an all-out siege…the IDF has dropped over 25,000 bombs on Gaza, a densely populated area…home to two million Palestinians,” said Maria Franzblau, member of the Young Democratic Socialist of America FIU chapter who spoke as a member of the public during Monday’s meeting.
“We are dissatisfied with the statements put out by FIU President Kenneth Jessel, which gives solidarity to Israel without any acknowledgment of the thousands of Palestinians killed by the IDF or the 75 years of oppression and ethnic cleansing they have endured,” Franzblau said.
FIU President Kenneth Jessell’s Statement shared on Oct. 27 through email
On Oct. 27 FIU President Kenneth Jessel said “FIU, we stand united with Israelis, Palestinians, and all people who stand firmly against Hamas and terrorism in all its forms,” in an official statement to students as an update after his original statement released shortly after Oct. 7.
During the Nov. 20 meeting, approximately ten members of the public requested a chance to speak during the public forum period. Students talked in favor and against the resolution and participated in the Zoom chat without proper recognition.
Senators voted to end the public forum about fifteen minutes in and continue with the meeting while some members of the public were still in the queue to talk.
“I just think that having impeding students from speaking their mind when you are their representatives is inherently undemocratic.” said senator of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education and cosigner of the resolution Daniel Salup-Cid to PantherNOW.
Despite significant support from the student body, the resolution seems unlikely to arrive on the Senate floor for a vote this semester, due to scheduling issues and its late arrival to the Rules and Administration Committee.
The “Ceasefire Now!” resolution arrived for review to the Rules Committee hours before the student senate meeting on Monday, not giving the committee enough time for review, said Dale Brochinsky chair of the Rules Rules and Administration Committee.
“I did not see it feasible to throw on a fourth piece of legislation, especially because, as our governing documents state, I’m not allowed to assign legislation to the committee until it is out of another committee,” Brochinsky said to PantherNOW
To arrive at the floor of the Student Senate, every piece of legislation must first be approved by one of the committees of the legislative branch, in this case Student Life and Academic Concerns Committee, and then go through a review process by the Rules and Administration Committee.
“I had replied letting the Senate President know on Saturday that we had three other pieces of legislation, plus an end-of-year conversation, and we also had two of our own senators graduating at the end of the semester,” Brochinsky said to PantherNOW, referring to the limited capacity of the committee to review the resolution before the end of the semester due the nature of the review process.
The Rules and Administration committee held a meeting on Monday at 6:00, after the Student Senate meeting ended, during which the resolution failed to make it into the agenda in a two to two vote.
Members of the student body complained that they were not admitted to the Rules and Administration Zoom meeting, despite being constitutionally required to be opened to the public.
Brochinsky says the committee admitted students who contacted the senators asking to be in the meeting and did not admit every person in the waiting room due to security concerns.
“There were a number of people who I did not know, who had not reached out to me, who just tried to join the meeting, and I didn’t know who they were. I don’t know if they’re Zoom bombers. I don’t know if they’re trying to actively disrupt our meeting.” Brochinsky said.
During the meeting, admitted members of the student body could not participate leading to an intervention from Senate President Kaily LaChapelle, according to YDSA FIU Chapter president Oscar Alvarez who was present at the meeting.
In response YDSA shared a statement on social media denouncing the delay “We DEMAND that student government listen to the voices of students and vote THIS SEMESTER for Ceasefire Now!” the statement reads.
The last student senate meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 27. To make it into the agenda, the Rules and Administration committee must hold a meeting and approve the resolution that same day.
According to Brochinsky, student senate committees cannot meet while the university is closed for Thanksgiving break, limiting the chances for this resolution to be voted on next Monday.
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