Student Government held its third senate meeting of the semester Feb. 17, focusing on major upcoming events, a renewed push for civic engagement and the establishment of a new committee dedicated to mental health resources.
The meeting began with the swearing-in of a new senator and a series of agenda amendments, which Giana Abraham, SG president and neuroscience/psychology double major, used as a moment to remind senators to submit items by the Friday deadline. The meeting saw the passage of ten allocations and one resolution, totaling over $6,000.
The centerpiece of the night was the passage of a resolution, S.R. 2026-08, creating a Mental Health Ad-Hoc Committee. Authored by new Interdisciplinary Studies senator Madison Nguyen, the resolution aims to increase awareness of existing resources like the Student Counseling Center and explore implementing Mental Health First Aid training for students and faculty. The resolution cited statistics that 75% of struggling college students do not seek help and pointed to peer-support models at universities like University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. The resolution passed with near unanimous support, and Nguyen was later elected as the committee’s inaugural chair.
SG’s largest financial commitment this meeting was S.A. 2026-26, allocating $1,980 for the “Congress to Campus” event. This initiative, planned since last fall, will work with the Former Members of Congress Association to bring two former members of Congress — one Democrat and one Republican — to UTD for two days of class visits and panel discussions. The allocation, which includes a standard 10% cushion, will be matched by contributions from the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the Initiative for Civic Leadership. Jackson Logue, political science junior and legislative affairs committee chair, said that using retired members allows for more candid discussions about the inner workings of government. The event is part of a national program also hosted by universities such as the University of Virginia and Carnegie Mellon. SG does not get a say as to which former members are brought to campus.
In other financial business, SG allocated nearly $900 for the end-of-semester “Final Scream” study break, which will provide pizza and water for students. Over $700 was set aside for the “Blank Space” art competition and awards ceremony, which will take place from March 10 through March 12. The Senate also allocated over $1,200 for “Passport to the World,” where SG will represent the U.S. with food at an International Culture Picnic event April 6. This amount was significantly reduced from an initial proposal after senators requested updated and more accurate budget figures.
The Green Initiative committee received approval for a $232 allocation to host a Green Fund Town Hall on March 5. The event aims to educate students on how to apply for grants from the Green Fund, a $5 student fee established in a 2024 referendum. A brief debate arose over the inclusion of $30 for stuffed animal raffle prizes, with some senators questioning the expense. Supporters, including Green Initiative chair Colton Rupe, argued that the prizes were a low-cost way to draw students to learn about the significant funding available for sustainability projects. The allocation ultimately passed.
SG also passed a $198 allocation for the Budget Breakdown task force to host a “Build a Budget” event, and a $165 allocation to pay facilities management staff for their work at the successful “Love the Earth” event, which saw close to 500 attendees and 16 organizations.
During the public comment period, the UTD College Democrats organization announced an upcoming campus visit from James Talarico to encourage voter registration. Additionally, senator and business administration junior Arousha Ghaznavi announced a project to provide an alternative Iranian flag option for cultural stoles at graduation that “better represents the Iranian culture.” UTD, through its third party vendor Herff Jones, currently offers an Iran stole with the Iranian tricolor and the emblem of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ghaznavi said that she had been working with former senator Caden Brenner to get UTD to offer a stole with the Iranian tricolor and a lion and sun symbol last seen on the Iranian flag under the Shahs.
The meeting concluded with the appointment of four senators to the Spring 2026 Elections Board, who will oversee the upcoming elections. Filing for senate seats opens Feb. 23, with campaigning beginning March 9.
SG meetings are open to the public. The next senate meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. March 3 in the Student Union Galaxy Rooms.