By Nathan Schmidt
This morning, the Fairfield University Student Association announced in a campus-wide email that its senate has passed a resolution to purchase a sound block for their single gavel. The resolution, which came after several meetings’ worth of debates and procedures, will enable the FUSA speaker to strike the ceremonial wooden mallet against a dedicated object instead of having to simply thump it on the plastic table.
“This is a great day for FUSA,” said senator Kris Thompson ‘21, who hunted down as many student reporters as possible to share the news of the joyous event. “We’ve fought long and hard to represent student interests on campus, and we’re confident that the sound block purchased through this motion will make great returns in the long run. It’s my pleasure to be involved in the FUSA senate for an event of this caliber.”
In the United States, it is traditional for the legislative branch of government to use a gavel to signal the beginning of meetings and the end of motions. FUSA is well-known for endeavoring to mimic American governmental institutions, and so the inclusion of a gavel in its proceedings is a vital element of group legitimacy.
Thompson added, “Without it, we could come off as nothing more than a gang of college students sitting around a table and reading off procedural papers. It’s vital that we and everyone else on the Barone Campus Center lower level have a tangible way to hear the strength of our organization. It took weeks and weeks for us to put this through the FUSA bureaucracy, but it’s worth it. Having a sound block is only the logical next step of our sound-minded — pun slightly intended — leadership and decision-making.”
The vote for the senate resolution was made unanimously, with 17 aye votes, 0 nay votes, and 0 abstentions. It was then confirmed by the speaker thumping the gavel on the table.
Stagnation 