Student Council met Tuesday via Zoom for their weekly general body meeting to pass a resolution supporting University President Scott Beardsley, while simultaneously condemning the lack of transparency and collaboration surrounding his appointment. Representatives also passed three pieces of bylaw legislation addressing a budget amendment, the restructure of the internal affairs committee and the expansion of oversight in the HoosConcerned website.
Student Council revisited a resolution that called for institutional stability amid the University’s presidential transition. The resolution was tabled after representatives said they needed to determine shared priorities with Student Council during a scheduled meeting Jan. 23 between Clay Dickerson, Student Council president and fourth-year College student, and Beardsley.
Dickerson briefed representatives on his Jan. 23 meeting with Beardsley. According to Dickerson, Beardsley will allocate $500,000 of discretionary funds for the next two years to Support and Access Services — a branch that provides resources such as textbook reimbursements, emergency aid and the Cavalier Career Closet. Dickerson said the funding will extend the program’s operations to 2031.
Dickerson also said that Beardsley agreed to collaborate with Student Council on a matching-funds endowment campaign, which would reduce Student Council’s reliance on the Student Activities Fee. SAF is a mandatory fee paid with tuition from all University students and allocated by Student Council to be used for Contracted and Independent Organizations. Currently, the Student Council budget relies on SAF revenues, fundraising and an endowment gifted by former President Jim Ryan in 2023.
Additionally, Dickerson said Beardsley confirmed continued discretionary support for University traditions such as Lighting of the Lawn and the third-year ring ceremony.
“At first, I was not interested in this legislation at all … I had that meeting [Jan. 23] and after talking with [representatives], [we decided] this was an opportunity … for Beardsley to prove himself [and] to show that he has invested in students, and that tomorrow can be a brighter day for us,” Dickerson said.
The resolution frames the University as being in a prolonged period of uncertainty following recent leadership changes. According to the document, this instability has “placed considerable strain on students, faculty, staff and administrators, affecting morale, trust and the sense of institutional stability.”
While the resolution advocates for continuity in leadership, it criticized the circumstances surrounding Ryan’s resignation and the process that led to Beardsley’s selection. According to the resolution, Student Council criticizes the role of the Justice Department in Ryan’s resignation and the lack of transparency and meaningful collaboration between the University community and the Board of Visitors during the presidential search.
Dickerson also noted that reversing Beardsley’s appointment would require the University to pay approximately $8.5 million in financial costs, which he said was of concern to him and a reason to call for stability with the resolution.
“I understand hesitations … but given [the Jan. 23] meeting, as well as a lot of the unique details that make his potential firing difficult to take in as students — for example … the idea that if [Beardsley] is terminated, it would cost the University north of $8 million … I think it is wise to invest in tomorrow and not bank on a future we can’t guarantee,” Dickerson said.
Several representatives expressed concern that supporting Beardsley could undermine Student Council’s earlier opposition to the search process. Law Rep. Kasey Michaud said that law students were worried about the optics and explained that while the resolution critiques the presidential search process, it offers unconditional support to the outcome of the process.
“The biggest concern that I’ve been hearing is that this looks like a bribe in less savory words given that, last week, we were unprepared to offer this support,” Michaud said. “It does look like we’ve gone back on our words because we’ve been given the promise of [funding].”
Dickerson said he originally shared some of Michaud’s concerns but that further discussion helped change his view. He noted that a majority of representatives had been ready to pass the resolution the previous week, and emphasized that the core aim of the legislation was to provide stability amid ongoing governance challenges at the University.
“Despite my disinterest in the process and consequently the product, the meeting on [Jan. 23] was enough to get me over that hump,” Dickerson said. “The only things [Beardsley and his team] could get back to me on were the discretionary commitments, but we by no means should be satisfied with that.”
The resolution ultimately passed by a vote of 35 to 0 — with one abstention.
In addition, the Student Council unanimously approved a budget amendment reflecting revised spending priorities for the remainder of the semester.
According to Micah Andrews, Student Council chief of Support and Access Services and third-year College student, Cavalier Health requested an additional $5,000 in its budget to cover reimbursement from the dental insurance pilot program. The organization funded dental care for more than 55 students this year at a cost of roughly $10,000. Support and Access Services also asked for an additional $3,000.
Saehee Pérez, Student Council chief of cabinet and third-year College student, also said that the budget for personalized cups for the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society was raised slightly from the original $100 to better reflect cost of the items. Pérez also noted Lift — a middle school mentorship program — spent less than expected this year due to delays with a new school partnership. Similarly, the launch of Cavalier Advantage Grants took longer than anticipated, resulting in one fewer round of funding and a minor budget reduction.
Beyond budget adjustments, representatives unanimously passed a bylaw amendment that would reduce overlap between the internal affairs committee and duties already handled by the representative body chair, redefining the committee as an internal advisory group tasked with reviewing procedures, supporting legislation and evaluating operations.
Representatives also passed a bylaw amendment that formally added oversight of the HoosConcerned website — an online forum for reporting and discussing University issues — to the community concerns committee’s responsibilities, expanding its role in documenting and addressing student concerns.
Student Council will reconvene Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. for a regularly scheduled general body meeting.
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