Student Union (SU) Treasury proposed amendments to their constitution and to the election packet, and it approved 14 appeals for 12 different clubs, totaling to a sum of $66,720.04, during their longest session so far this semester, March 7. 

Proposed Constitution Changes

The meeting began with a presentation from Emily Chen, a member of the Constitutional Task Force, who explained changes that will be voted on by both Senate and Treasury after spring break ends. These changes include codifying the impeachment and recall procedure.

If both bodies approve the changes, the updated Constitution will be on the ballot during the spring election and must be approved by the student body before going into effect.

Election Packet Amendment

Election Commissioner Constantin Carrigan presented an amendment that would ban the five undergraduate colleges from endorsing candidates. The amendment was added to the election packet that Senate and Treasury had approved at a joint session on Feb. 28. 

The Election Commission decided to alter the language of the endorsement section which previously stated that any group on campus was eligible to endorse a candidate. 

Carrigan explained that he did not want SU elections to be influenced by the University and its policies; rather, the election should remain centered around students. 

The proposed change would only allow endorsements from groups recognized by SU, constituents, and on-campus organizations governed by constituents. Carrigan noted that the language of the last section was intentionally drafted to include non-SU-recognized groups that do important work on campus, such as Me Too WashU.

Treasury representatives unanimously approved the amendment. Shortly after, SU Senate also voted to approve the amendment, which means it will be implemented in the packet. 

Trending Topics: Stephanie Hsu

Treasury representatives approved a request from Washu’s Social Programming Board (SPB) for $45,200 to have actress Stephanie Hsu speak at Graham Chapel on April 10 as part of SPB’s Trending Topics speaker series. Funds for this request were allocated from a specific reserve of money slated for Trending Topics events, which is separate from the funds reserved for student groups. 

Previous Trending Topics speakers have included Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown, Encanto’s Stephanie Beatriz, and Olympian Aly Raisman. Stephanie Hsu is best known for playing Joy Wang in the critically acclaimed, genre-bending film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” 

The movie has been celebrated for bringing more Asian representation into mainstream media, which SPB members emphasized when explaining why they landed on Hsu as a speaker. 

Although Treasury representatives noted that the price tag of the event was high, multiple representatives spoke about the value of bringing Hsu to campus given the recent media buzz surrounding the movie and the importance of including Asian and female representation. 

Treasury Appeals

Fourteen clubs appealed for funding totaling $66,720.04 at the Treasury meeting.

The Asian American Association (AAA) requested $7,496.25 for a formal event themed around “Spirited Away,” a popular Studio Ghibli film. Treasury disagreed over how much funding they should grant, specifically due to the venue chosen and the amount of food, and it ended up funding $5,132.98 for the formal. 

Additionally, AAA requested $5,709.24 for a night market event, which was contested due to the amount of funding requested for food and because AAA requested uniforms for executive members, something that is typically not funded. Treasury did not fund the uniforms and funded the event for $3,097.20. 

Bridge Club requested $10,025.59 to compete at Brown University and received $9,563.  Mosaic Whispers requested $2,475 for their concert on April 24, which was funded in full. WashU China Cares requested $981 for an upcoming social event, which was funded entirely. PESTL, a volunteer group that works with students of various ages in St. Louis, requested $2,208 for rental cars, which was funded in full. 

The WashU Hip Hop Union requested $4,300 for a competition in New England and was funded in full. Badminton Club requested $4,974.12 for an open tournament at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and was funded for $3,994. Triathlon requested $14,620 for their Collegiate Club Nationals and was funded in full. Mock Trial requested $7,290 for their AMTA Nationals and was also funded in full. 

The Equestrian Club requested $3,072.5 and $973.5 for two competitions and was funded in full for both. Swing Theory, a swing dancing club that is trying to compete in the future, requested $2,000 for their club, which was fully funded. 

WashU’s International Relations Council (WUIRC) requested $10,448 for a Model UN competition in Chicago. Treasury funded them for $7012.86, reasoning that funding 20 people instead of the requested 24 would reflect the precedent of other club delegations.