The Student Senate approved Wednesday night an amended version of a Student Government resolution urging the revocation of President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order.
The original resolution, authored by Graduate School senator Jordan Landry, was hotly debated Feb. 15, with senators voicing concerns about partisan politics and fair representation of student interests. The importance of compromise and individuals over partisanship was the overwhelming theme of Wednesday’s debate, a noticeable shift in tone from a week prior.
A number of senators who spoke before the assembled body said their minds had changed in the week since the resolution’s initial consideration, and urged their peers to support the bill. In the final vote, the resolution passed with 96 percent support, with five senators abstaining.
The public viewing area was packed with over 20 Iranian international students who attended to urge the resolution’s passage, and six of the students shared personal testaments during the public input period.
College of Music and Dramatic Arts senator Brennan Major said during the debate international students enrich the culture of the United States and make the University a better place, adding to crucial research and the campus culture. Ultimately, he said, the resolution is a moral issue and not a political one.
“These are people that likely worked harder to be here than we did,” Major said, in reference to the Iranian students in the room. “They sacrificed so much to come, and they might be away from their families … We have a responsibility when this executive order comes after our own to come back with everything we have, and I think this is what we have.”
University Center for Freshman Year senator Max Martin, a co-author on the final piece of legislation, said including a tactical plan illustrating how SG intends to support international students made it more than just a piece of paper for those wavering.
Elements of concrete efforts included partnering with the LSU Law School to provide immigration services and legal aid and pursuing financial initiatives to provide effected international students with housing, school materials and other necessities, among others.
Martin said a number of senators were involved in the revisions and there was considerable back and forth as each side yielded to certain demands. Martin said he helped mediate between Landry and College of Science senator Jimmy Mickler, who played a key role in the revisions, to hammer out a final piece that the majority was happy with.
“The legislative process involves a whole lot of time and a whole lot of compromise, and that isn’t something this body is necessarily used to because a lot of the stuff we do is more agreeable,” Martin said.
Mickler said he was always in support of the sentiment behind the bill, but knew it needed a more campus-centric focus to rally support. After hours of work and a number of late night phone calls, the legislation was transformed into something that emphasized the importance of what SG can achieve over partisanship, and assuaged most fears, he said.
Landry said the final product wasn’t what he originally imagined, but it still achieved his aim and did something good for the students. Landry said he was shocked by the resolution’s passage rate, and was grateful to his fellow senators for rallying behind the legislation.
“I think if this can pass in a university that’s as supposedly conservative as LSU, I think that speaks very well to how important this issue is and how non-partisan this issue is,” Landry said. “I think it adds to the impact of what we’ve done tonight.”