The Student Government Association (SGA) discussed a bill intended to invite national leaders to campus for a gun safety forum at their weekly meeting on Tuesday. Members also considered a resolution calling for the University to count and reduce the number of animals used in experiments in Hopkins funded facilities.
Junior Class Senator Lana Weidgenant introduced the Animal Testing Resolution, noting that the University does not publicize the number of animals used annually in research funded by the National Institute of Health. She stated that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded nearly $850,000 to the University in September as part of an effort to prioritize efforts to reduce animal testing.
Weidgenant highlighted the importance of the bill.
“I don’t believe that we have had anyone in Senate before talking about animal testing at Hopkins. This is an issue that... has been pretty notorious at Johns Hopkins University specifically, so I would love to have an opinion from the student body about this,” she said.
Weidgenant added that the EPA announced plans in September to reduce funding for experimentation that includes reducing mammal testing by 30 percent by 2025 and completely eliminating funding for this type of experimentation by 2035.
The bill called for the University to analyze all currently occurring animal testing and to adopt a policy in accordance with these guidelines.
Sophomore Class Senator Oluwatobi Ogunbiyi commended the bill.
“At Hopkins, we are leaders in research. Taking on the challenge to move onto more effective methods of testing, I feel, is something that we as a student body should make the University think about,” he said.
On the other hand, Senior Class President Pavan Patel explored a potential downside of eliminating animal testing.
“Wouldn’t that decrease the amount of scientific research that researchers can do... so that other universities would have to do that research, instead of Hopkins?” he said.
Weidgenant mentioned that EPA introduced a timeline for the phasing-out of animal testing so that alternatives can be developed.
The bill was tabled for future discussion, as was the Approve Invitations to SGA Gun Safety Forum Act, which Patel introduced.
Patel explained that the bill was intended to provide Hopkins students with opportunities to engage in conversation with leaders about the issue of gun reform.
The bill would have authorized Dr. Joseph Sakran — a trauma surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital, survivor of gun violence and the founder of Docs Demand Action — to invite presidential candidates such as Beto O’Rourke, Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris to campus. Sakran would serve as the keynote speaker of an event in December, and Patel would coordinate funding and logistics with other student organizations or University departments.
Freshman Class Senator Anthony Singleton expressed concerns about the diversity of the proposed invitees.
“If the goal is to stimulate a discussion, to me it seems like the discussion is going to be pretty similar because all of the candidates chosen are on one side of the issue,” he said. “It would be better if we brought in people that are more on the opposite side of the issue.”
Patel agreed, noting that he would be open to adding more people to the invitation list before it is reintroduced.
Sophomore Class Senator Adelle Thompson highlighted a need for more speakers from the Baltimore community.
“While I agree that the mass shooting part is extremely important, we should also recognize that we are in Baltimore, which is a city where guns are a daily part of life,” Thompson said. “We should also think about and invite people who are affected by gang violence and gun violence on a daily basis.”
The Activism Fair Reimbursement Bill, also meant to promote civic engagement, passed unanimously.
Sophomore Class President Nathan Mudrak introduced the bill in order to fund the Orientation Week Activism Fair, which involves over 20 student groups on campus.
The group also confirmed a member-at-large to the Civic Engagement Committee and senators to specific committees on SGA.
In addition, SGA members held a closed session in order to discuss internal affairs.
Executive Vice President Dean Chien declined to comment on the content of the closed session in an email to The News-Letter. However, Chien stressed SGA’s efforts to ensure transparency.
“We are all for transparency whenever possible,” he wrote. “A closed session is only called when absolutely necessary.”
In an email to The News-Letter, Patel explained that the Senior Class Council is accepting applications to fill a vacancy until Thursday, Oct. 24.
SGA members will confirm a new senator on the following Tuesday.
Marvis Gutierrez contributed reporting to this article.
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