During an Associated Students meeting on Wednesday, the A.S. board of directors voted to fund Camdan McWright’s family, passed a legislation that shines light on hate crimes against people of color and wrote a resolution to honor San Jose State President Steve Perez.
A.S. president Nina Chuang said their organization has the flexibility to provide resources and support of up to $1,000 to families with a deceased student from San Jose State.
“We had experienced a student who passed away from our community and we're taking our time today to honor them and consider utilizing our family emergency fund to support the McWright family,” Chuang said.
McWright was a freshman football player who was killed in a traffic accident on Oct. 21.
Chuang said this opportunity makes A.S. remember the privilege and opportunity they have to serve students.
President Steve Perez said A.S. supporting others’ families when they are in need of compassion says a lot about the governing body.
“We're a family of 40,000 people. We tragically lose some every year. This was a young man I didn't get to meet, but I've met a lot of people that did and he was a tremendous young man,” Perez said.
Running backs coach Alonzo Carter said McWright was a respectable man who he got to recruit and coach.
“He worked with a lot of our freshmen students, he had a lot of respect. Just as a young man, he was an angel,” Carter said. “You know, he was a gift and we had a chance to work together and he made me better.”
Carter said McWright was a 4.3 GPA student and peer mentor who tutored kids and some of SJSU’s student athletes. He said he’s sure the McWright family will appreciate the gesture and he thanked A.S. on behalf of the football team, coach Brent Brennan and the entire staff.
Chuang also proposed a legislation to speak on hate crimes and the violence that’s experienced by people of color and underrepresented communities. There were three hate incidents that occurred within the first months of the fall semester on campus.
Chuang said she wants the resolution to help students learn more about the history of people of color.
She said faculty and students reached out to her to initiate educating our campus on Asian American and Pacific Islander communities that experience hate in their vicinity.
“The purpose of us passing this resolution is to really make a statement about the violence that has been happening throughout underrepresented communities and also on our campus,” Chuang said. “I think it's really important for us, even though we constantly represent students, of course, but for us to really make a statement about this.”
One of the final items on the agenda for A.S. was honoring Perez as his term will end on Dec. 31.
Chuang proposed writing a resolution to former president Steve Perez to honor the positive influence he had on the university.
A.S. Director of legislative affairs, Dominic Treseler said he appreciates everything Perez has done for SJSU and in collaboration with A.S.
“I really think it sets a benchmark for what we're going to expect from our university president going forward and what I hope to impress upon a future board about what they should expect, so thank you so much,” Treseler said.
Chuang said she wants the newly appointed president Cynthia Teniente-Matson to be student-centered in her advocacy and intentional about fostering a relationship with student leaders.
“I'm really excited for our creation of our relationship with the new president,” Chuang said. I'm really looking forward to the ways that we'll work together and advocate for students.”
