After extensive debate, a bill to help fund a “Week of Integrity,” sponsored by the organization Men With Integrity, was passed in the Senate meeting yesterday.

The “Week of Integrity” will include multiple events to raise awareness about sexual assault on campus. Men With Integrity Director Dale Vaughn spoke to senators at the start of the meeting about the purpose of the week.

“We are on campus to propel a movement to end sexual assault,” Vaughn said.

The proposed legislation would help Men With Integrity purchase information cards and posters.

It would also allow the organization to purchase 1,000 wristbands with the word “Integrity” and the initials MWI.

“When the wristbands get out on campus you can see how many people have been affected by sexual assault,” Vaughn said.

“The wristbands are a visual representation to start a conversation. Sexual assault is something we don’t talk about. Society has not allowed us to do that.”

Some senators, however, opposed funding for the wristbands.

There were concerns that the amount of money needed to purchase the wristbands was too much for something so disposable.

Many felt that the wristbands weren’t necessary to express Men With Integrity’s message, and others felt that the wristbands were too much of an advertisement for the organization itself.

“If we fund wristbands for this organization, we’ll have to fund wristbands for every other organization,” Dedman II Sen. Ben Hatch said.

Other senators disagreed with Hatch and many emphasized in debate the importance of spreading Men With Integrity’s message and the effectiveness of the wristbands.

“When you think of all the instances of sexual assault we have on this campus, we need to support this,” Meadows Sen. Emily Graham said.

During the debate on this piece of legislation, which lasted for almost an hour and a half and included multiple proposed amendments, President Liz Healy encouraged senators not to compare this bill with hypothetical future situations.

“We need to look at each bill on its own merit,” Healy said.

Healy also suggested reducing the number of wristbands from 1,000 to 300.

This friendly amendment was accepted, reversed and finally added after a voted amendment.

The bill was approved with this amendment, reducing the amount Senate would fund from the initially proposed $1,678.75 to $873.75.

Two other pieces of legislation were discussed in the meeting.

A bill proposed last week to fund $1,500 for a graduate finance case competition at the Cox School of Business was passed by the Senate.

A new bill to fund the environment committee for 250 recycling bin lids and labels was proposed.

The bin lids will be matched with new receptacles that were purchased by Campus Planning and Plant Operations and will prevent contamination. This bill will be voted on at a later date.

The organizations committee gave two clubs positive recommendations. Students for a Better Society was elevated from a probationary to a temporary status, and the Bhakti Yoga Club will move into probationary status.

The meeting also included the inauguration of the first-year senators who are now voting members of the Senate.

The Senate is still lacking one Cox senator. Interested persons should contact Membership Chair Gabe Travers at gtravers.smu.edu.