SA passes resolution denouncing swim coach comments
The Student Association passed a resolution denouncing Rice swim coach Seth Huston’s statements on the National Collegiate Athletics Association policy regarding transgender participation in college-level sport at the March 7 Senate meeting, with one SA member voting against the resolution.
Stephanie Martinez, SA Director of Equity, said during the meeting that they made several amendments to the original resolution.
“I feel like there’s a discourse around this resolution,” Martinez, a Sid Richardson College junior, said. “I just want to say that this resolution is just one piece of [our efforts], and SA has many aspects that are working towards change for trans students … So this resolution is focused on [Huston’s] comments and statements, but I do think that’s a step to creating a more inclusive community.”
The resolution, introduced by the Equity Council, now clarifies that this resolution is not commenting on the intent of the statement, but the impact of Huston’s words.
“The Student Association and Rice University must take responsibility for the negative impact of his statement regardless of its original intent,” the resolution said.
Sarah Mozden, the outgoing president of Sid Richardson, said during the meeting that she appreciates that the Equity Council has amended the resolution to better represent the will of students.
“I see you guys took a lot of feedback from SA discussions, and I’m very proud of you guys for having those discussions and actively working [on amending the resolution],” Mozden, a senior, said at Senate.
The resolution urges Rice University to have Huston undergo allyship training and an anti-discrimination course, denounce the statements made by Huston and apologize to the student body for allowing transphobia to proliferate on campus. The resolution also calls for Huston to publicly apologize for his comments.
The vote on the resolution was not unanimous. All voting members of the SA, except for Jones College president Aaron Pathak, voted to pass the resolution. Wiess College senator Kamren Walls abstained from voting.
Pathak said that he believes the passing of a large number of amendments that could change the interpretation of a legislation should have time for discussion with constituents.
“While not a recorded roll-call vote, I also voted no to waiving prior notice and voting without the normally allowed discussion time,” Pathak wrote in an email to the Thresher. “However, Senate’s motion to waive prior notice passed, and we had to operate on an accelerated timeline. Based on the data my senator and I had most recently collected, a clear majority of Jonesians did not support the resolution in its original form; as such, our split-vote was important to most accurately represent the voice of the college we were elected to serve.”
Pathak said he is strongly against the intimidation of voting members by members of the Rice community.
“I fear an increasingly common strategy in the Senate is to bypass our democratic structures through intimidating voting members in their personal lives or through threatened ostracization,” Pathak wrote. “Rushing through legislation prevents representatives from accurately discussing key issues with their constituents. I find this increases the gap between the SA and the student body, and this may be why many students feel the SA is not representative of the student body as a whole.”
More from The Rice Thresher
First-ever election block party draws crowds
A line stretched across the academic quad this Election Day. In contrast to previous years, however, the line was not for voting at the Sewall Hall polling location — it was for the first-ever election block party hosted by the Center for Civic Engagement. The event aimed to encourage student voting and engagement in politics, complete with a bouncy castle, free food and a DJ.
Students pack Sid Richardson to watch election results
Around 200 students crowded into the Sid Richardson College commons Tuesday evening, where voting results played out on the commons’ screen. As Massachusetts turned blue, a loud cheer erupted throughout the room.
Waits drop after morning voters crowd Sewall polling place
On Tuesday, 1,094 voters flocked to Rice’s Welcome Center to cast their ballots in the presidential, state and local elections. Wait times climbed to an hour shortly after the polling center’s doors opened at 7 a.m., with many hoping to beat the crowds during Rice’s first-ever non-instructional Election Day. The lines calmed down around noon, when students began congregating in the academic quad for the election block party.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.