USG, the student government, is prioritizing five initiatives to make the transition for the next administration easier. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Lantern File Photo
Ohio State’s first LGBTQ center, a set state-of-emergency grading system and a streamlined sexual-assault reporting process — these are some of the goals the Undergraduate Student Government administration hopes to work toward before terms end in April.
USG President Roaya Higazi said the student government is prioritizing five initiatives — which also include advocacy for international students and adding gender-inclusive language to the university’s student-employee system — to make the transition for the next administration easier.
“We are really trying to hone down on some of our biggest priorities right now,” Higazi, a fourth-year in city and regional planning, said. “We really want to make some serious groundwork on before we leave so that we can support the next administration.”
Higazi said USG hopes to complete final decision memos for the location of Ohio State’s first LGBTQ center and ensure a consistent stream of feedback from LGBTQ students during the process.
USG is also working on an extension of the pass/no pass grading system passed by the University Senate in September that would go into effect any time Ohio State enters a university state of emergency. Action items passed by USG’s General Assembly are subject to University Senate and Board of Trustee approval.
“That’s something we already made good progress on last semester and really hope to finalize this semester before we leave,” Higazi said. “Making sure it includes pre-forgiveness, that it includes some type of pass/no pass option, that it includes flexibility from instructors, covers all the bases so that students know what accommodations they have going into a state of emergency.”
The emergency grading system plan will be finalized within the next two months, Higazi said. She said the rule would prevent a rushed procedure like USG experienced last semester with the pass/no pass resolution.
USG Vice President Caleb Hineman said the student government is also collaborating with Keesha Mitchell, interim associate vice president of the Office of Institutional Equity, for a survivor pathway resolution. He said its goal is to make it possible for sexual assault victims and survivors to disclose their assault once, either to residence life, the Office of Institutional Equity or Counseling and Consultation Services.
At Ohio State, regardless of whether a victim or survivor discloses to a resident adviser, professor or friend, their first interaction with Title IX will be to disclose their assault to a Title IX intake coordinator. After that disclosure, if the victim or survivor chooses to pursue an investigation, they will be interviewed by a civil rights investigator.
Mitchell did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
USG is working with the International Student Council to advocate for the creation of an International Affairs Shared Governance Committee, Hineman said. This committee would have faculty, staff and students work together to help redefine Ohio State’s support for international students.
“Right now, international students are often sent to the Office of International Affairs for many of their problems,” Hineman said. “And many of the offices kind of throw their hands up, that they’re not necessarily able to help with all issues that affect international students when, in fact, many offices have the responsibility to serve them because they’re students like anyone else.”
Higazi said USG’s newest project with Ohio State’s Enterprise Project and human resources is to ensure that Workday, a platform used to manage student employee data, and other platforms that require students’ personal information are inclusive of gender identity with language considerate of transgender or gender-nonconforming students and does not require students to disclose their birth certificates.
