By Journalist Olivia Kopang (OSU)
Two sides: Barbie or Oppenheimer.
The Barbenhiemer Battle continued to play out on Saturday afternoon when the House of Representatives debated a hot-button piece of legislation.
The bill, titled “I’ll Show Up If I Want to,” (OSU-503) concerns college attendance policy. It outlines specifics such as college professors not being allowed to penalize students’ grades because of absences in their class and that students must remain awake in class and can only fall asleep less than 10% of the total assigned times for class of the semester.
Representatives had varying opinions on the bill and let it be known during questioning, proposition of amendments and debate. Opinions were not held back as delegates shouted and hollered over one another in a loud uproar.
The verbiage for almost all motions in the House was also changed.
Some of these changes included substituting “Chair” to “weird Barbie,” Representatives to Barbie, the House to “mojo dojo casa house,” a motion to “Hey Barbie,” a call for debate to “Let’s go party,” and decorum to “Have you ever thought about dying.”
Rep. Edmudson (OSU) making a motion in the House
A representative then called for debate, and the body was split into two sides: Barbie in the affirmative and Oppenheimer in the negative. Representatives were enthused and motivated, to say the least.
Representative Donaldson (NWOSU) said she liked getting to propose amendments to the bill and watch the fun playing out in the House.
“I really liked it, I thought it was a really good bill,” Donaldson said. “I did make an amendment to include a punishment for students who abuse the intent of the bill. But it was all in good fun and it was a lot of fun to do.”
After the vote concluded, with 34 in the affirmative and five in the negative, the body danced to “I’m Just Ken” and “Dance the Night” from the Barbie movie.