After a week off, Student Senate reconvened Thursday, Feb. 7. The meeting began with three new members taking the oath of office.
After a few student announcements, the meeting moved into administrative reports. Campus Security Assistant Director Dale Boyer began by announcing that Campus Security recently hired a new staff member. Boyer also said that they are no longer actively looking for more staff members.
Office/Work Station Manager for Facilities Management Bob Mrgich reported that all of the window AC units for residence halls were cleaned and sprayed with an antimicrobial spray, making them ready for reinstallation over spring break.
Vice President for Student Life Dr. Celestino Limas then took the senate floor to report on multiple topics, the first announcement being that the Board of Trustees approved a “social lounge” at its latest meeting.
Limas then held a discussion of ideas on tracking the usage of the Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-being before moving on to talk about residential renewal projects.
He stated that the new housing will not affect holding graduation in the Dell. He also said that the College strives to preserve as many trees as possible throughout the process. Limas provided ideas for potential additions to the plans, which senators provided feedback on.
Senators were shown architectural renderings and potential floor plans for the new buildings. According to Limas, these buildings are expected to hold 450 beds, 111 more than the current Royer Residence Hall and Schlosser Residence Hall buildings combined. Limas said that this will allow for a lower price to be offered to students, which he said he recognizes as an important matter. Despite not sharing all of the details, Limas said, “I like where [Elizabethtown College is] going” in regards to the price.
The meeting moved on to executive cabinet reports. Senior treasurer Josh Baker reported that five club budget requests were recently accepted for their full requested amounts.
Junior Clubs Chair Sarah Conway announced that the donation race will take place on Blue Jay Day, which junior Publicity and Marketing Chair Emily Perry later announced to be Wednesday, April 10.
The old business portion of the meeting was dedicated to committee elections.
New business began with updates on constitutional amendments. Senators voted on whether to approve the amendments that were previously debated issues, such as the dress code for meetings.
The last order of new business was a discussion surrounding Dining Services employment issues, led by Limas. He started by saying that the issue is not a problem with the management at Dining Services, but a problem with the budget. The previously announced increase in room and board will help this problem, but that does not start until next semester, so senators voiced potential immediate solutions.
Committee and class updates ended the meeting, during which the class of 2021 announced their fundraiser 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17 at Mod Pizza.
