Student Senate XXXII sets goals for the academic year

Student Senate President Julia Pardee, ’21, and the rest of the Senate are working to set goals for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Pardee and the executive board aim to serve as a better middle ground between students and the administration. Senate has already started to address students’ discontent with Parking Services and the updated regulations this year.

Senate met with Parking Services just last week, said Lucie Pascarosa, ’22, the vice president of Communications and Public Relations.

“We are going to try to work with (Parking Services) to let our constituents know what is going on with parking and why it’s happening,” she said. “There is a lot of change happening on campus. We want to help express why these changes are happening.”

The parking situation is just the beginning of the challenges the Senate plans to tackle this year. Its biggest concern is representing the student body and making sure the administration is transparent in its policies.

The senators have expectations for Pardee’s presidency this year. 

Wasti Khan, ’22, a senator from the on-campus constituency, said he hopes Pardee is “very focused and on top of everything and delivers well to the executive board and senators.” 

He said he also wants to learn from her as a leader.

Pascarosa, who has been in the Senate for a year now, said she thinks Pardee has been doing a fantastic job as president.

“She gives us direction and where we should be going, and she also is on top of things,” Pascarosa said. 

Pardee said she wants to use her past experience — she has been a Senate member since her first year at Lehigh — to further develop and grow as a person.

“I want to learn better time management skills with this busy schedule I am getting adjusted to,” Pardee said. 

She said she is humbled by her position and the support from the senators. She said she is getting ready to participate in many professional settings with individuals like members of the Board of Trustees, the provost and President John Simon. 

Pascarosa said the Senate, collectively, aims to be inclusive, prideful, active, ambitious, experimental and fun. 

However, Pardee and the Senate want to make sure constituents engage more with the Senate. 

“Use the Senate as a resource, talk to your senators, email them,” Pascarosa said. “We want to hear from our constituents. Bring the ideas or complaints.”

Pardee said she wants students to know they are welcome to join Senate meetings, which are held Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m. in Sinclair Laboratory.