On Wednesday, the Undergraduate Senate (UGS) debated amendments to a joint resolution that calls for “accountability, transparency and student protection” after an IDF soldier tackled a Stanford student at a tabling event in April.
“In my read of the [White Plaza incident], Stanford students were failed by [University] administration after what happened,” said former UGS chair David Sengthay ’26. “There was no communication, there was no transparency, there was no investigation that was public regarding this incident.”
According to Sengthay, the resolution aims to “encourage a standardized process for investigations so that Stanford administrators can reassure the community at a time when students are afraid they might get tackled or choked in White Plaza because of what happened that day.”
The UGS initially passed the resolution by a 13-0-1 vote at its last meeting on May 13. During its May 14 meeting, the Graduate Student Council (GSC) voted to reconsider the joint resolution the following week with parts of the proposal reworked to address gaps and community concerns. To do so, the UGS proposed several amendments.
While some amendments focus on clarity and relevance of certain clauses, the main adjustment to the resolution clarified that the Office of Community Standards (OCS) has jurisdiction over voluntary student organizations (VSOs) and their members. As such, the OCS, not the ASSU, is responsible for opening investigations and making determinations regarding VSO status.
“We as the Undergraduate Senate should have no business in passing [legislative] judgment, investigation or punishment for a student or a voluntary student organization and the spirit of these amendments should embody that,” Sengthay said.
Members of the Stanford Israel Association (SIA) attended the meeting to express their views on the joint resolution and its amendments. Some raised concerns that the SIA was unfairly targeted by the resolution due to the club’s ties to the April 22 altercation.
“We feel targeted because [the resolution] specifically mentions the Stanford Israel Association by name,” a member of the SIA said.
Other members of the SIA raised concerns that the UGS passed the initial resolution last week to begin with, claiming that doing so showed the UGS’ shortsightedness.
“We understand that what happened last week should not have been passed and we are taking the corrective measure to do this now to ensure that no single student or VSO, regardless of identity, feels targeted,” Sengthay said.
The UGS also discussed plans to establish a Community Center Working Group and create a Sustainability Working Group, and introduced a bill to recommend nominees for university committees.
If passed, the bill regarding the Community Center Working Group will form a committee of representatives nominated by the ASSU and one to two representatives from each Stanford community center that will report to the UGS. Their goals will be to meet regularly, address concerns and ensure that centers have adequate resources and support.
“I know in the last few years it’s felt like a lot of decisions have been made without students’ notice as far as community centers go and all of the changes that have gone on within community center programming, so this working group is to establish that transparency,” UGS co-chair Laila Ali ’28 said.
The Sustainability Working Group would consist of representatives from the ASSU, Stanford Transportation, StanfordNext, the Doerr School of Sustainability and Students for a Sustainable Stanford, among other partner organizations. This group will focus on finding actionable goals surrounding sustainability efforts and “operational and policy concerns.”
The senate also introduced a joint resolution that seeks to reform career education at Stanford to “ensure equitable access across all career pathways.”
“I’m excited to see what comes out of this bill because I know I would feel so much better coming out of NSO hearing more about public service and the Haas Center coming into Stanford,” Ali said.