Student Senate sends official resolution, demands actionable steps – The Brown and White Student Senate sends official resolution, demands actionable steps

Student Senate XXVIII sent an official resolution titled “Lehigh University Code of Conduct Discrimination Sanction Amendment” to the Lehigh community on Wednesday, shortly after President Joseph Helble sent a statement about racism on campus. 

The resolution includes a list of demands and a petition form in response to the current campus climate, and serves as an effort to improve the overall community. 

The resolution said racism was once again highlighted on campus by the finding of a second BORG depicting blackface. This incident comes after the finding of a BORG at a fraternity party, labeled “BORG Floyd” on Feb. 23, leading to a Greek pause. 

“This secondary act of deliberate racial discrimination, particularly affecting black students on campus, has caused large numbers of the student body to demand decisive action from the administration,” the resolution said. “Students urge the university to implement policy changes to uproot the bigoted environment that is present within our community.”

The email stated that the Student Senate demands the administration to “reconsider and strengthen” the current sanctions under the University of Code of Conduct related to incidents of discrimination and bias. 

Student Senate calls for a change under Appendix A, regarding the sanction for Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment from “warning through expulsion” to Disciplinary Suspension that remains in effect through graduation, which would shift the response from a warning to accountability. 

Additionally, the resolution called for the university to require members of the Lehigh and Greek life community to participate in “anti-racial discrimination online training.” 

“Be it further resolved during what is colloquially known as “Greek Prep” –– mandatory informative sessions before the “rushing process” for any given fraternity or sorority –– a segment of the presentation should be dedicated to educating prospective members on the historical and institutionalized racism within the Greek system, as well as the creation of cultural greek organizations and the Cultural Greek Council (CGC) as a result of that,” the resolution said.

The resolution is identified as Resolution SSR38-002.