Student body president Jerry Vielhauer gave his first-ever State of the Union address to the student senate Wednesday in a meeting marked by reforms to and a suspension of the senate’s constitution. As usual, the meeting opened with a prayer led by senator Jack Rankin.
This week’s prayer included a special reference to the late Pope Francis, who died on Monday.
“God, help us today to respond effectively to the needs of our fellow students in outreach as well as upkeep,” Rankin said. “Help us live up to the mission and memory of Pope Francis by selflessly serving the wider community in South Bend and the nation. Amen.”
Following prayer and roll call, Vielhauer addressed the senate. He touched on a smooth transition from the previous administration, spotlighting his chief of staff, Ethan Chiang, and the newly approved directors of the student senate.
“After our election, Sonia and I have selected the best chief of staff around, Ethan Chiang,” Viehauler said. “Then, the three of us selected directors for our 19 departments, along with the executive controller and student union secretary. We are beyond excited about what every one of our directors is going to accomplish this year with their departments.”
Vielhauer then transitioned into explaining some of his administration’s early work, noting the continuation and success of several initiatives, such as the push to extend Street Fare’s hours of operation until midnight. He also discussed his administration’s coordination with Notre Dame administrators, highlighting their positive feedback on these reforms. Viehauler concluded his remarks with optimism for the future.
“I, along with Sonia and Ethan, have been meeting with numerous administrators, including Father Pete, on Monday … receiving very promising feedback regarding a number of our highest priorities,” Vielhauer told the Senate. “We’re really excited about the possibility of a lot of our initiatives. We’re thrilled to serve the student body over the coming year.”
The senate then moved on, passing SO252605, which approved and updated the Senate’s bylaws to suspend elections for races which only have one candidate. The body then voted on SO252606, which modernized election rules, particularly addressing concerns surrounding the use of official email lists for campaigning, which was previously banned. The policy has been updated so that emails may be used, but automated emails and the use of Listservs remain prohibited. This, too, was passed after brief questioning.
The Senate next moved to SO252607, which focuses on the constitutional obligations of Irish Gardens, the on-campus flower shop located in the basement of LaFortune Student Center. The organization is referenced in the Student Body Constitution, and per its articles, it has been inadvertently violating several regulations.
“When it comes to the nomination of a new student union business, it has to be approved by the senate and Financial Management Board,” student union parliamentarian Sam Robinson explained. “The other thing … is that at the end of the fiscal year, [Irish Gardens’] net profits are supposed to be transferred into the Student Union’s carry forward account, which has not been the practice for at least seven years or so. This order is just meant to put those … issues with compliance on hold until the next student business manager is confirmed.”
While the bill, which will temporarily suspended Irish Gardens’ deadlines and requirements until the fall 2025 semester, was ultimately passed, these compliance issues worried several senators. Senator Max Barton made his concerns about these violations known before voting on the bill.
“I am absolutely shocked by the occurrence of this,” Barton said. “I’m highly concerned about the fact this has been allowed to go forward for that long. That, to me … is a canary in the coal mine. It’s the warning that we’ve got something bad going on, some people that are probably breaking the rules.”
Robinson responded to Barton, saying, “Sometimes practice doesn’t always align perfectly with the rules,” citing Irish Gardens’ non-compliance as a reason to pursue this suspension.
“I completely understand your concerns. This oversight on all ends should not have happened,” Robinson said. “But now we’re working to fix the issue. I think that this is a nice step in that direction of ensuring that rules are actually practiced.”
Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated in its subheading that the student senate had suspended Irish Gardens. The senate suspended a part of the constitution, not the flower shop. The Observer regrets this error.
