The Student Senate passed a resolution urging the Board of Regents to terminate the agreement establishing the Education Achievement Authority unanimously Tuesday night in the Student Center.
S. Res.-102-07, supported by Speaker of the Senate Kiera Fegan and Student Government President Steven Cole, asks that the break from the EAA take effect June 30, 2016.
“I would note that with regards to the EAA, former officials of the EAA are under investigation by the federal government for bribery and kickback from contractors which is something that hurts the reputation of Eastern Michigan when we are involved in something that is involved in corruption,” Senator Sam Jones-Darling said.
According to a term of the agreement approved by the regents in Dec. 2014, “either party may withdraw from the Agreement if it provides notification of its intent to withdraw on the first June 30th that is at least 180 days after the notice” to withdraw.
In 2011 EMU’s Board of Regents entered an interlocal agreement with Detroit Public Schools to create the EAA. The resolution said the board entered the agreement “without any substantive notice to, or input from, Eastern faculty, students, or staff[.]”
The Regents’ Resolution identified four criteria for the EAA when it was developed. The Faculty Senate conducted a review of the progress on the four criteria and concluded that “substantial progress” has not been made.
Local school districts, including Ann Arbor Public Schools and Saline Area Schools, have started turning students from the College of Education away due to the university’s connection to the EAA.
The resolution noted the EAA has “generated significant negative publicity and has been investigated by law enforcement, among other things, allegedly mismanaging taxpayer funds and contracts.”
This is the second resolution passed by the Student Senate concerning the EAA. It urged termination of the agreement for the first time last Nov. in S. Res.- 101-06.
The agreement is on the agenda for the Board of Regents meeting to be held next Tuesday in Welch Hall. For the full schedule, go here.
The Senate also passed S. Res.-102-06 to oppose H.R.3403 – Safe Campus Act of 2015 and urges Michigan and Ohio delegation in the United States Congress to vote against the act. Student Government Vice President Anjali Martin broke a 10-10 tie vote.
The act is a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives intended to aid in the protection of sexual violence survivors and improve the education of allegations related to sexual violence.
H.R.3403 makes an institutional investigation into an allegation contingent on an investigation first being conducted by a law enforcement agency. If the survivor does not consent to the investigation by law enforcement, the institution cannot carry out institutional disciplinary proceeding.
The resolution said EMU Student Government “believes in a survivor orientated act[.]”
The resolution was authored by Senator Marshal Conley and supported by Senator Joshua Starr. Conley said the act adds an extra step for survivors.
Director of Social Justice Maya Rich said the proceedings with sexual assault are treated differently from any other crime. If another crime happens, the university disciplinary proceedings are separate from law enforcement proceedings.
“I cannot go to my university and have them investigate student conduct unless I go to the police,” Rich said. “It’s the only crime that is treated that way.”
Rich said the stated goals of the act, which are to preserve the due process rights of respondents and to encourage sexual assault reporting, harms the healing process of survivors.
“The criminal justice system is not always friendly to survivors,” Rich said. “There are a lot of individuals who choose for a multitude of reasons not to go through that process because they find themselves re-traumatized.”
Senator Joseph Pernicano voted against the resolution. He said this was the first time he has interacted with the bill.
“I definitely would like to review this myself, independent of what we’ve been told today and also what we have here on the senate resolution,” Pernicano said. “I’d like to review this thoroughly and I think there is no way anyone should be opposing or supporting a house resolution that we have not all read ourselves. That would be reckless.”
Regular committee meetings will be held Dec. 8 in the Student Center. For the full schedule, go here.
