Student Senate met Thursday, Feb. 21 for its weekly meeting, which began with two special orders.

The first was a presentation from Senior Associate Director of Annual Giving Ben Osterhout regarding the Power of One Day event.

Osterhout said that the goal for the event to be held Tuesday, March 19 is 1,700 donations within the first 24 hours.

Power of One Day has a match pool of up to $170,000, so $100 is donated for each donation no matter the amount until the goal of 1,700 donations is reached.

The second special order was the oath of office for a newly elected senator.
Student comments followed the second special order. One of the notable comments was about if fifth-year students are allowed to participate in senior week if they also participated last year.

One senator said they thought fifth-years pick one senior week to attend, but other senators said they would look into the issue at the upcoming Alumni Relations meeting. After that, the Senate meeting moved into administrative reports.

Vice President for Student Life Dr. Celestino Limas began by talking about the Tournament of Participants. Limas announced that he has bought the rights to name the GaGa pit that is being built with the Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-being.

Instead of naming it himself, Limas is hosting a game of hide and seek for 100 representatives from clubs and organizations on campus, and the winning organization’s name will be on the plaque of the GaGa pit.

The game will take place Wednesday, March 20 from 11 a.m. to noon, or until the last player is found. The 15 seekers will be comprised of members of the Student Senate Executive Cabinet, Hide and Seek Club, Area Coordinators, Director of Athletics Chris Morgan and Co-Chair of the Education Department Dr. Peter Licona. More information can be found at etown.edu/hideandseek.

Director of Campus Security Andrew Powell followed Limas. Powell said that their patch design contest ended, and the winner will be announced within the upcoming week. Powell also reminded senators that there is an ordinance in the Elizabethtown Borough where cars parked on streets must be moved within 72 hours.

Powell finished his report by announcing that Campus Security will be changing to a new ticketing system either this semester or the next, where they will no longer have paper tickets.

A representative from the Center for Student Success reported that there was a 59 percent response rate for early warnings. While 546 flags were raised, 1,400 kudos were sent out.

Office/Work Station Manager for Facilities Management Bob Mrgich was unable to attend the meeting but sent in his report ahead of time. Mrgich said that Facilities staff members will attend training during Spring Break to learn the new work order system.

During executive cabinet reports, senior Elections Chair Kaitlyn Freed announced that scholarships were posted on Canvas and applications are due Friday, March 15.

Senators then moved into old business. After tabling a committee election, they began their discussion about areas of concern in the Student Handbook.

Many senators voiced their opinions of various areas of the Student Handbook.

“Where to go to when you live in Myer is wrong in the event of a fire,” junior Sarah Conway said.

“It says no alcohol can be consumed in a common space,” sophomore Nickolas Sieber said. “That needs to be updated for the social lounge next year.”

“The fee to unlock a door is still in here as $3 for Residence Life and $5 for Campus Security,” senior Kaitlyn Freed said. “I’m not sure if this is still actively enforced.”

“The only service animal that is valid is a miniature pony,” junior Alexis Trionfo said.

Assistant to Vice President for Student Life Amy Berra took note of the concerns so that they can be addressed.

The meeting ended with committee and class updates. Sophomore Matt Smith reminded senators to register for Into the Campus, which is Saturday, March 30.

Sophomore Rachel Freed also reminded senators that Etown’s Got Talent will be held Friday, March 29.

Senate will meet again Thursday, March 14 in Hoover 212 at 3:45 p.m. after Spring Break.

The Senators wish everyone a safe and fun Spring Break!