Undergraduate senators passed the Survivor Bill of Rights and the Office of Accessible Education (OAE) Faculty-Academic Accountability Act during their Thursday meeting.
Lexi Kupor ’25 presented the Survivor Bill of Rights, citing a lack of trust among students in the University’s policies and procedures on sexual assault and misconduct as reasoning for the bill. Kupor is a representative for law professor Michele Dauber’s class LAW 7065: “One in Five: The Law, Politics, and Policy of Campus Sexual Assault.” Kupor also writes for The Daily’s news section.
The bill, which was unanimously passed by the Senate, asks the University to “reiterate commitments to policies it has consistently reneged,” Kupor said. It also requires that “Stanford publicizes information on how students may choose between the three procedures — Title IX investigation, SHARE hearing, and SHARE investigation — through accessible, easily readable resources and graphics,” according to the text of the bill.
Senators also unanimously passed the Office of Accessible Education Faculty-Academic Accommodations Act, a bill introduced by Marion Santo ’23 that institutes a form on which students can report difficult or lengthy accommodations processes. The results of the form will be reviewed yearly by the Faculty Senate, and “reports indicating persistent noncompliance, as determined by the OAE, will require training by the OAE regarding accommodations and accessibility,” the act reads. The resolution will be voted on by the Graduate Student Council before it is considered by the Faculty Senate.
Adding to the campus-wide conversation around an inadequate mental health system at Stanford, Senator Darryl Thompson ’23 presented the Mental Health Liaison Resolution, which would ask Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to select mental health liaisons within every residence to keep students updated on available wellness resources.
Senators Emily Geigh Nichols ’23 and Alain Perez ’23 shared concerns about the labor burdens the resolution would place on mental health liaisons. “I don’t want students to bear the weight” of dealing with mental health crises, Nichols said.
To lighten the burden on liaisons, Senator Marion Santo ’23 proposed shifting the responsibility onto Resident Fellows instead, rather than having liaisons that play a role similar to former Peer Health Educators (PHEs).
“I see this as an opportunity for students to meaningfully contribute to the well-being of the communities that they find themselves in,” Thompson said, adding that the liaison system would not be based on the PHE model. “The goal is not to provide each dorm with a student to do crisis control.”
Senator Gabby Crooks ’23 added that it could be difficult to recruit students to be mental health liaisons if the positions were voluntary. Thompson acknowledged this difficulty and said that some dorms may not have a liaison due to the nature of the position.
Undergraduate senators will vote on the bill next Thursday.