Student Council Meeting Recap: September 4
Posted: 2019-09-04 22:33:34 Expiration: 2040-09-11 22:33:34
Associated Students of Madison
333 East Campus Mall, 4301 Student Activity Center, Madison, WI
Website: asm.wisc.edu Phone: 608/265-4ASM
E-mail: press@asm.wisc.edu
Alex Pierce, Sadat Khan, and Mick Miyamoto from Recreation & Wellbeing gave a presentation
to Student Council on how it aims to better serve students.
The mission of Recreation & Wellbeing is to “move Badgers to play hard, get fit, and live well.”
Recreation & Wellbeing shared how there is a high correlation between a student’s GPA and
active lifestyle. This is why it aims to not just offer facilities, but also services to improve a
student’s overall wellbeing.
The name “Recreation & Wellbeing” was chosen through a vote by students. It was stated that
the name change is to better reflect student experience. The vision behind this new name is to
create a brand “to build a movement of healthy habits through inclusion, education, innovation
and connection.”
Recreation & Wellbeing explained how its focus will be on services that support student mental
health, as well as improvements to food and nutrition services. It sees mental health as a
multifaceted affair.
Regarding the Nicholas Recreation Center, Recreation & Wellbeing shared how the expectation
is to open it this spring. As the fall semester progresses, a hard date will be announced. The plan
is for there to be restrooms located on every level that are 100% inclusive, as well as a 50 meter
pool and indoor windows with a view of the capitol. It was also stated that the Nicholas
Recreation Center will have an air filtration and pool heating system designed with a sustainable
focus in mind. 92 to 95% of materials from the previous Southeast Recreation Facility were
recycled. The Nicholas Recreation Center is designed to last 50 years at a minimum, but
additionally be adaptable to change. This project will cost $96 million to build.
Finally, Recreation & Wellbeing detailed the preliminary outline for the $110 million
Natatorium renovation. The design process will be entering into its fourth workshop of the
design process, which will conclude in Fall 2020. In Spring 2021, construction will break
ground. The anticipated opening date is January 2023.
Recreation & Wellbeing staff members encouraged Student Council members to voice their
opinions about universal locker rooms, preferred building entrances, how wellbeing services
should be integrated into the facility, and where the locations of mental health services should be
placed. Recreation & Wellbeing is open to student feedback.
In open forum, Robert Christl and Adria Brooks, two TAA representatives, spoke about their
ongoing campaigns. Robert Christl expressed TAA’s discontent with mandatory fees, which are
on average roughly $600 per semester, with international students paying about $100 more.
Additionally, Adria Brooks detailed administration’s out of date policies regarding graduate
teaching assistants. Both speakers expressed how TAA is looking to find a way for the university
to cover fees as a condition of their employment.
Chair Malloy introduced new legislation to increase student voter identification card
accessibility. This would remove the two-year expiration date requirement on student voter
identification cards from Wisconsin State Statute 5.02(6m)(f), call on UW-Madison to add
student signatures to Wiscards in an effort to allow them to become valid means of voter
identification for students, and ensure that voting processes are accessible to all students.
Chair Malloy motioned to vote on the legislation. With a vote of 19-4, the body voted to suspend
the rules to allow for debate and a vote on the legislation.
The legislation passed with a vote of 18-4-4.
Chair Malloy introduced a piece of legislation regarding the University of Wisconsin related
Bills in the Wisconsin State Legislature, which speak upon segregated fees, student debt, and
voter accessibility. The legislation called on the Associated Students of Madison to seek
bipartisan solutions with the Wisconsin State Legislature and address student priorities as chief
areas of concern.
There was no motion to vote on the legislation.
Chair Downer introduced legislation to adopt the written legislation from the summer conference
for the Association of Big Ten Schools. Vice Chair Grunow spoke upon discussed conference
topics, such as increased resource sharing, connectivity with all students, issues students face
across all Big 10 schools, and ways to continue to support the Association of Big Ten Schools.
No motion was made to vote on the legislation.
Student Council will meet next on September 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the SAC Hearing
Room.
-- Associated Students of Madison: Matthew Mitnick