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SG looks to create sustainability council

Student Government (SG) Senate is expected to re-examine a bill Tuesday night that would create the Sustainability Recommendation Council.

The council's goal would be to encourage policy and recommendations that are expected to benefit students while protecting the environment and human rights.

Senate held off on a decision regarding the bill last week so that Relations Chair Saeed Sinan could finish conducting a survey of student opinion regarding the council. The survey was available to students through Facebook from Nov. 10 to Nov. 16. It asked students whether they feel sustainability is an issue that affects the student body and if they support the formation of an SG sustainability council.

The bill states that the council would be comprised of the senate policy chair, senate relations chair, senate president, two additional senators, the student body president and the chief financial officer for SG, along with the director of student business services (SBS).

At last week's Senate meeting, the bill's author, AlaEldean Elmunaier, said he had multiple conversations and at least half of those mentioned in the bill were present. It is set up that the opinion of the committee would not be binding, but could be presented to SBS or SG as a proposal.

"Now if this bill passes, this council will review the allocations that SG makes and try to promote environmentally friendly approachments," Elmunaier said. "If a product that we buy or any entity is buying using (Activity and Service) fees is not environmentally friendly, the council wil research a product that is better keeping in mind being fiscally sound in all recommendations or policy measures.

"The social aspect is if there's companies that we engage with that, for example may have labor issues or have a trak record of abusing their employees or making clothes from sweatshops, we could see if we can end (services with) it."

Should the bill pass, the council would either start during spring semester or during the next SG term, which starts during summer.