The 2025-26 Associated Student Body term concluded Tuesday, March 31 with a joint senate meeting between the newly inducted ASB executive board and senators and the 2025-26 ASB team. This joint senate marks the end of this past senate’s term, and the beginning of the new senate’s term.
The ASB senate passed SR 26-2, which voices support from the ASB for a new attendance policy to take effect in fall of 2026. This new attendance policy was developed by the Senate of the Faculty, the UM Graduate Student Council and ASB. The new policy would include a bereavement policy and excused absences for student-athletes.
The passing of SR 26-2 was the last step in an on-going process of joint legislation between the ASB senate and faculty. On Dec. 3, 2024, the ASB senate passed a resolution that was related to adjusting student attendance policies.
This resolution outlines different reasons why students could be approved for excused absences, including students participating in NCAA competitions and other university sponsored events. The current undergraduate absence policy does not allow for excused absences for students participating in NCAA competitions.
This resolution was then sent to the faculty senate, and ASB and faculty senate worked together to come to an agreed-upon resolution. This process concluded on March 20, 2026. This new resolution was brought to the senate floor so that its recorded policy would be in accordance with the faculty senate’s. SR 26-2 was passed unanimously.
Previous ASB Vice President Walker Jacklin passed the power to the newly elected ASB Vice President Trey McKean. As part of the passing of the power ceremony, Jacklin gave a final speech, as did President Pro Tempore Wesley Templet.
Jacklin reflected on the ASB’s accomplishments in his speech.
“Some say that the ASB does not make change. I come to you tonight to say that I am proud of the tangible differences that every single person in this room has made,” Jacklin said. “I think some people just forget what changes have happened in just two years: Our entire campus has an all-access New York Times subscription. We lowered concession prices, saving students over $100,000. We placed portable chargers in various areas for athletic events. We advocated for a very successful ride-sharing program, and we have spent over 100 hours working on the attendance policy you just passed tonight.”
Templet highlighted his positive takeaways from his time in ASB.
“My time with the ASB has been incredibly rewarding and fulfilling,” Templet said. “I would not give it up for anything, and I am proud to pass the mantle of leadership to the next generation.”
Incoming ASB senators are looking to continue creating change through ASB. Incoming senator for the College of Liberal Arts Mike Cavanaugh, a freshman public policy leadership and economics double major from Grenada, Miss., wants to focus his efforts on the Lafayette-Oxford-University (LOU) housing crisis.
“Hopefully my first initiative will be to declare a housing crisis in the ASB as well as the faculty senate,” Cavanaugh said.
ASB Committee of Housing Senator Lawson Campbell, a junior political science major from Summit, Miss., offered this advice to incoming senators. Campbell plans on continuing in his senator position into the new term.
“Put yourself out there, and try to remember names. I like to use the (ASB) website to double check,” Campbell said.
Orientations for new senators, where they will identify committees they are interested in serving on and learn about the legislative process, are still being scheduled.
Final reports from the various committee chairs revealed other initiatives taken by the ASB this year. The committee on inclusion and accessibility passed legislation this year to include menu items on campus dining locations appropriate for the Jewish holiday Passover.
The infrastructure and environment committee introduced measures to build mirrors and anti-suicide barriers in parking garages and to establish walking-only zones on campus. The community affairs committee has been working on introducing a student discount in the LOU community via partnerships with businesses.
