The Student Association Congress passed a resolution to “bring back whimsy” to Binghamton University’s campus.

The resolution, titled “Resolution to Bring Back Whimsy,” was authored by Jennifer Majoy, an Off Campus College Council representative and a junior majoring in politics, philosophy and law. The resolution aims to “promote a more joyful, spirited, and whimsical campus culture” through advocacy and programming efforts, gauge interest on a “Whimsy Committee” and publicly broadcast the resolution through an SA Line statement.

“I was ecstatic to see it pass because the goal of the resolution was always to encourage a campus environment that feels more happy, spirited, and student centered,” Majoy wrote in a statement to Pipe Dream. “At its core, the resolution is about joy, connection, and responsiveness to student concerns, and I am excited that it helped open a broader conversation about how student government can better serve the campus community.”

The resolution outlines several areas in which the University lacks “whimsy,” including campus culture, academic stress, the “drabness” of campus and a lack of school spirit. It cites several issues that contribute to this “slow erosion of the human spirit,” like the slow construction of the new Panera and fluorescent lighting in lecture halls.

Other issues mentioned in the resolution include the implementation of online classes during snow days and “the proliferation of pretentious athlete scooters.” The legislation asks that the SA advocate for “ambient lighting in lecture halls, improved mascot styling, campus-wide cookie access, scooter equity, stronger support for athletics, and immediate honesty regarding the Panera timeline.”

The resolution highlights the struggles faced by student athletes at the University, like the “disheartening” lack of school spirit and demanding academic expectations. It advocates for stronger peer support and to build a sense of community around the University’s athletics.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Majoy explained it was important to encourage students to attend the University’s Division I sporting events because they “foster a lot of community.” She said that she also wants to encourage students to attend club sporting events.

Majoy told Pipe Dream that a major component of the legislation is to create a student ambassador group that will help to communicate student needs to the SA and market events across campus. She also said that they are considering offering incentives to encourage event attendance to build long-term engagement.

The legislation also satirized problems with campus dining, a focal point on campus over the past year. The resolution advocates for the removal of dining hall theft fees and criticizes the University for providing “meals that inspire scavenging behavior.” The University recently ended its contract with Sodexo [HYPERLINK: https://www.bupipedream.com/news/auto-draft-1726/175883/] and has entered a new 10-year partnership with Chartwells Higher Education following widespread student activism on campus.

The resolution also acknowledges issues with student perception of the SA, explaining that while it is “always working hard,” “at times its motives can appear self-determining, as though energy is being devoted more toward resumes and political careers than toward making student life genuinely better.” This particular clause drew controversy during the discussion at the Congress meeting.

“I personally do not stand behind a resolution that suggests that an SA Line should be sent out, in which a statement directly mocking the Student Association is included,” said Ezra Rivel, an OC3 representative and a first-year graduate student pursuing a master’s in public administration.

Rivel told Pipe Dream in a statement that he believed that the clause was “unprofessional and unbecoming of the SA Congress” amid “mass campus criticism.” He emphasized that he agrees with the resolution from a “conceptual standpoint,” but thinks that the proposed changes should be enacted “through collaborative student governance in a professional way rather than by tokenizing the SA as an organization as part of an SA Line.” Rivel said that he “was willing to talk more about my opinions but we unfortunately weren’t able to find a time.”

Majoy explained the clause was included to address how the SA is perceived by the student body in order to “bridge the divide” between the SA and BU students.

“I think that the whole point is to make us seem like we’re all students,” said Nina Thomas, a Mountainview College representative and a sophomore double-majoring in political science and economics who presented the resolution along with Majoy. “We’re all in this together. We just have to all come together.”

Despite a motion to amend the language of the clause in the resolution, the legislation passed in its original form with 12 votes in favor, four against and three abstaining.

“The rare moments of sunshine on this campus often feel spiritually transformative, and when one sees their situationship shirtless on the Dickinson turf (aka ‘durf’) playing spikeball on the first sunny day in months, they may experience an overwhelming sense of joy that had almost been forgotten, these whimsical feelings and fleeting moments of campus happiness are few and far between, but as a Student Association we should strive to make the student body feel that level of joy more consistently,” the resolution read.