Woodruff emphasized the importance of collaboration between higher administration and ASMSU to regain trust and increase inter-campus communication.

“On behalf of this great university, I decided to coin a new term ... it is called ‘stagility,’ the combination of stability but the ability to be agile,” Woodruff said. “So we need some stability on this campus but we need to not sit and be potted plants. We need to be able to move forward.”

Wearing a necklace with a pendant made from peeled-off paint from the MSU Rock, Woodruff urged ASMSU to paint the Rock with her in the near future. She said the painted image should represent the “stagility” of the university in the midst of the transition period.

“This (necklace) represents students going back throughout the 167 years of this great university and you, as ASMSU, are really the rock for the university,” Woodruff said. “You are that stable place that all of the hopes and aspirations of the university are in view.”

Woodruff invited Jeitschko to join her in an open period of discussion and questions from general assembly members, calling him a “man of stagility.” Jeitschko stressed the importance of building a relationship with ASMSU to help their voices be heard.

“What matters for me here is ... to build on this relationship because I have tremendous respect for you,” Jeitschko said. “Only a few weeks ago, when you guys spoke, you spoke not only the voice of students, but you spoke as the voice of the institution. And it was heard, not just by other students, not just by the provost ... but was heard all the way to the very top of the administration.”

Besides working to increase communication with students, Woodruff and Jeitschko spoke on their plans to execute the 2030 Strategic Plan to incorporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies into the university, as well as increase the affordability of tuition. Jeitschko also mentioned enacting an advising initiative to increase the availability of advising on campus. 

“May I just offer to everyone that we’re all confused?” Woodruff asked. “So we’re all in this together. And so we’ve got to get out of it together.” 

Woodruff said she plans to hold a “state of the university” address sometime after winter break, as well as visit residence halls and colleges on campus to connect with students.

“Excellence is still here and we need to believe in it,” Woodruff said. “I charge all of you to continue to see the joy in being in a place like this, to ward against cynicism, to make sure that you see every day as an opportunity for your own education, and in the great tradition of Michigan State, to use that education in the service of others.”

Five bills unanimously passed

Also at the Nov. 3 meeting, the following bills were unanimously passed:

Bills to create vaccination clinics in high-traffic dormitories on campus and cover uninsured students’ vaccinations 

Introduced by Council of Students with Disabilities Rep. Maddie Tocco, this bill advocates for vaccination clinics in residential colleges to increase the accessibility of vaccinations on campus.

“When I wrote this bill my first thought was about my community and the lives of my constituents who are immunocompromised,” Tocco said.

Currently, the only on-campus vaccination clinic is Olin Health Center. The clinics that the bill advocates for will be inspired by mobile vaccination clinics and will make getting vaccinations easier for students, Tocco said. The bill unanimously passed.

Additionally, ASMSU will allocate $7,500 to cover the cost of uninsured students’ vaccinations. This bill will support students who are not financially able to get vaccinations and give every student the opportunity to stay safe and healthy, said Residential College of the Arts and Humanities Rep. Ellen Young.

Bill to advocate to the Board of Trustees to revise building naming policies

This bill, introduced by North American Indigenous Students Association Rep. Stevie Quijas, calls on the Board of Trustees to update their building naming policies, which have not been updated since 2003. 

Since February 2021, ASMSU has been advocating for the removal of Justin S. Morrill’s name from the Morrill Hall of Agriculture.

The following statement was written in the 2021 bill to remove the name: “Michigan State University sold over 80% of the stolen land it was granted by 1900 for an endowment of $1,252,722, the second largest sum of any Land Grant University, thus displacing Indigenous people and causing incalculable grief and hardship. It is our responsibility as student leaders to advocate for justice for those who were most affected by the Morrill Act.”

Morrill’s name remains since the bill to remove it was passed in 2021. Quijas said this is due to a lack of response from administration and the board.

Bill to add the Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions to Desire to Learn

Introduced by Black Student Alliance Rep. Josh Dorcely, this bill advocates for an addition of Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions, or OCAT, module to the Desire to Learn, or D2L, webpage. The addition will better connect students to OCAT resources, like advising, cultural events and mentoring, Dorcely said.

The bill unanimously passed.

Bill to appoint Sonya Koenig to the university committee on academic governance

This consent bill appointed James Madison College Rep. Sonya Koenig to the university committee on academic governance. Academic governance gives ASMSU 64 seats for undergraduate representatives. The bill passed unanimously.

The next ASMSU general assembly will take place on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in the International Center room 115.