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Highlights

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Sexual Assault Policies

  • Authored a sexual assault prevention and awareness resolution covering a variety of disparities in the process

  • Worked on a bipartison bill launched to reevaluate standing policies on consent and victim-survivor rights on all Minnesota college campuses

  • Advocated for Affirmative Consent at the system level

  • Advocated for minimum sanctions based on Big Ten best practicies

  • Promoted the normalization of trigger warnings 

College Affordability

  • Advocated for a successful tuition freeze in 2012

  • Wrote a letter to the Board of Regents expressing concerns about of out-of-state tuition increases.

  • Brought record-breaking numbers of system-wide students to the Capitol to lobby for a tuition freeze.

  • Joelle has testified various times in front of the MN higher education committees on behalf of college affordability.

  • Joelle was invited to Washington D.C. by Senator Al Franken for the attention she's drawn to the issue of college affordability.

Transportation, Housing, & Infrastucture

  • Advocated for new bus routes, including the University Ave. Circulator Pilot.

  • Increased number of bike racks by Coffman to 88.

  • Revamped interests in the Washington Avenue Bridge remodeling.

  • Secured the remodeling of Tate Lab in the 2013 legislative bonding request.

  • Expanded Dining Hall hours during finals week in Fall and Spring semesters.

  • Advocated for increased prayer and reflection spaces on West Bank, St. Paul, and East Bank.

  • Advocated for gender-nuetral bathrooms in all upcoming buildings.

  • Began a Big Ten-wide conversation about the status and efficiency of campus disability services

  • Secured interests from Parking & Transportation Services to collect data for bus route remodeling.

Hearing the Student Voice

  • Sent an invitation to speak, on behalf of MSA, to every registered student group; garnered over 800 responses.

  • Spoke with seven of the second floor student groups to discuss tangible metrics of partnerships

  • Attended the Campus Climate workshops

  • Hosted several town halls and information sessions regarding a variety of issues, including biking on campus

  • Through MSA, continuously poll the student body on relevent issues like sexual assault, transportation needs, safety, etc

  • Information from student group outreach worked into programs to evaluate disability resources, non-Native English speakers' concerns, safety concerns for students of color, needs of queer students, and more

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Organizational successes under our leadership

  • Brought over 200 students to the MN Capitol to lobby on behalf of a tuition freeze in 116 meetings with legislators.

  • Changed the Rec Center dress code policy to allow for sleeveless shirts to be worn.

  • Ensured students of color were represented on the search committee for the new UMPD Police Chief

  • Created a stipend review process for increased accountability of MSA stipended members.

  • Special Partnerships with Minnesota International Student Association & Black Student Union

  • Researched, partnered, and passed a resolution on trigger warnings, sparking campus-wide conversations about student well-being in the classroom

  • Worked on the development of the Association of Big Ten Students' platform, including a resolution supporting the adoption of preferred name policies across campuses in the Big 10

  • Doubled representation of second floor groups at Forum

  • Ensured international student representation at ISSS’s conversation with administration about International students’ needs.

  • Helped revamp Forum resolution processes to track all ideas & ensure they go through channels of research and administrative partnerships beforehand

  • Trained SOE, Interns and Leadership in Diversity and inclusivity

Individual successes & experience

Joelle

  • Saved students $15,000 by decreasing MSA's total budget request for 2015-2016

  • Lobbied the Board of Regents to do a campus climate survey to better understand sexual assault on campus. Will be launching this spring.

  • Launched the polling task force of MSA in 2014 to better engage the student voice.

  • Expanded Saturday UDS hours for before game day and for students with finals on Saturdays.

  • Passed a resolution on sexual assault, resulting in a review of current campus policy and strengthening the conversation at the state level.

  • Successfully lobbied for a two year tuition freeze in 2013.

  • Was recognized by the White House for doing exemplary work on sexual assault through focus groups with men on campus.

  • Worked with with the institution to evaluate affirmative consent policy and implement minimum sanction guidelines in sexual assault cases.

Abeer

  • Ensured students of color were represented on the search committee for the new UMPD Police Chief

  • Passed an MSA resolution on a preferred name policy and consulted with administration of implementation on policy.

  • Passed an MSA resolution in support of providing trigger warnings.

  • Doubled the representation of second floor student groups in the MSA Forum.

  • Wrote and passed the preferred name resolution adopted by the Big Ten student governments.

  • Passed a resolution for designated reflection/prayer spaces on campus.

  • Streamlined MSA Forum resolution process to increase feasibility of ideas.

  • Increased international student representation at ISSS conversation about international students

  • Trained the student government leadership team, the SOE committee, and freshman interns in diversity and inclusivity.

Ongoing initiatives on track for success

  • Safety

    • Working to allow the Gopher Chauffeur to use the St. Paul transitway in order to deliver more rides in less time.

    • Working to implement text crime alerts, rather than email alerts.

  • Mental Health

    • International students’ needs addressed at panels.

    • Serving on the Provost's Committee on Mental Health

  • Sexual Assault

    • Working with legislators in the House & Senate to draft a bipartison bill on campus consent policies.

    • Initiative to have an Aurora Center-trained advocate in every Greek House.

    • Communicating with student governments in the rest of Minnesota and the Big Ten to advocate for affirmative consent and minimum sanctions.

  • Transportation

    • Advocating for a referendum on the current Campus Connector bus routes.

  • Concerns of Marginalized Students

    • Writing the Senate resolution to support long term funding solutions for the Department of Chicano/Latino Studies.

    • Working on a resolution to switch crime alerts to text alerts for more timely safety updates.

    • Working within MSA, and University departments and colleges, to begin implementing preferred pronouns across campus.

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