ASUC to Post Meeting Conduct Warning Sign Outside Chambers

The ASUC Senate passed a bill Wednesday night to post a sign outside the senate chambers warning guests to avoid "malicious" behavior, a move some senators fear may deter guests from attending the open meetings.

The sign will state that the ASUC "frowns upon malicious verbal attacks or physical intimidation by guests or elected officials." It will also inform guests that "those who violate these principles will be asked to leave."

Senate meeting rules allow Executive Vice President Christine Lee, who chairs the meeting, to remove guests who are behaving inappropriately.

"I feel it is important that we let our guests know that we have a zero-tolerance policy for malicious hate speech and physical intimidation," said Student Action Senator Evan Bloom, who wrote the bill.

The sign may be up next week after the bill is read into the minutes and becomes official, Bloom said.

However, several senators said they will refuse to sign it because they see the sign as uninviting to students, said CalSERVE Senator Dena Takruri.

"We want to foster an environment that is welcoming to all the students we represent, not to deter them from even entering senate chambers," Takruri said.

Bloom said he wrote the bill after guests at the Oct. 6 meeting "verbally assaulted" a senator at the meeting.

He added that some guests also called him racist the next day.

"I say criticize me on my ideals, my politics, my voting record-but don't devalue my or anyone else's worth as a person," Bloom said.

During the hour long debate on the bill, some senators tried to table it until after the senate receives diversity training from the Chancellor's Hate and Bias Task Force. After an incident when one senator called another senator an "underrepresented bitch," senators have been demanding diversity training for nearly a year.

"We haven't had any diversity training, and there have been issues in the past that show that it's needed," said CalSERVE Senator Dorie Perez. "If some senators feel threatened and don't know how to react, it would be great for the task force to come in."

But maintaining civility during senate meetings needed to be considered right away, said Student Action Senator Igor Tregub.

"I think it's better to address this issue now and make it clear that this is a space where people can be

respected," Tregub said.

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