After a transition ceremony Friday to swear in newly-elected leaders, the Student Council held its first meeting of the term Tuesday in which the Representative Body confirmed second-year College student Ellie Brasacchio as the chair of the body and approved four new Contracted Independent Organizations.
Brasacchio was re-elected to serve as the chair during a meeting last Friday, but the position required a confirmation vote from all representatives during the first general body meeting. She was unanimously confirmed to the position with two abstentions — one by proxy from third-year Commerce student and representative Billy Hicks and one by first-year College student and representative Steven Radilla.
Student Council also passed a bill to approve four new CIOs. The organizations granted CIO status were the Local Tea, the Minority Rights Coalition at North Grounds, Planned Parenthood Generation Action and the Virginia Review of Politics.
The Local Tea is an organization intended to showcase and discuss the poetry and prose of women based out of the creative writing department.
The Minority Rights Coalition at North Grounds was founded to create a community that fosters and embraces diversity on North Grounds, offer cultural sensitivity training and hold MRC-endorsed candidates for student governance positions accountable for their promises.
Planned Parenthood Generation Action works to educate the University Community on reproductive health and rights and increase pro-choice awareness and activism.
The Virginia Review of Politics is a non-partisan publication that publishes political content and seeks greater student engagement in politics.
No representatives from any of the organizations were present to speak on their CIO approval.
The CIO approval bill passed unanimously with one abstention by proxy from Hicks.
Student Council also tabled a bill, which would change the title of the Community Service Committee to the Community Relations Committee and would create the Service Committee. If passed, the bill would also define the committees and their specific roles. The Community Service Committee currently works to promote civic engagement while also working to strengthen ties with the City of Charlottesville and the student body.
The Community Relations Committee would work to promote civic engagement among the Student Body and work with the City and broader Charlottesville community on issues that concern students. The Service Committee is intended to promote public and community service, form relationships with University staff and faculty and support service organizations.
The bill will be addressed on during the next General Body meeting.
During the meeting, Alex Cintron, a third-year College Student and Student Council president, briefly addressed a flyer that had been circulating around Grounds Tuesday which claims that the Z Society and those associated with the secret society are deliberately undermining student self-governance at U.Va.
The anonymous flyer alleges several students in leadership roles across the University are members of the society and contains several allegations against the organization. The Cavalier Daily has been unable to confirm the veracity of the claims.
Cintron said the flyer would not deter Student Council from serving the student body.
“We will not be distracted from our goal of serving students,” he said.
Correction: The article previously misstated that second-year College student Ellie Brasacchio was unanimously confirmed to the position of chair of the Representative Body with one abstention by proxy from third-year Commerce student and representative Billy Hicks. First-year College student Steven Radilla also abstained during the vote.
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