Student Senate met for their weekly meeting Thursday, Oct. 14 at 3:45 p.m. in Hoover 212.
The meeting began with administrative reports, starting with Assistant Director of Housing & Resident Life for Student Activities Carina Carpenter. They spoke on events happening over homecoming weekend, including Bingo which will be open to both current students and alumni.
There were no updates for Housing & Residence Life, Campus Security, Office of Diversity, Equity and Belonging or Counseling Services.
Center for Student Success sent a representative whose only update is that they are currently trying to hire more tutors for courses that are lacking them.
Representative Marlaena Ciabattoni raised the question if it would be possible to get group study sessions that you could pre-sign up for rather than the drop-in ones that are currently available, due to the limited number of tutors. The representative said for now they will be sticking with the drop-in hours, but suggested looking within specific departments for possible group study opportunities.
Moving into executive reports, Executive Secretary Jalen Belgrave updated that his committee is continuing to work through the approval of each class constitution.
Executive Treasurer Kyle Cappucci approved a $350 start up fund for the College’s chapter of the NAACP. An ongoing request from the Hide and Seek Club was also approved for $574.75, for t-shirts for new club members. Cappucci also encouraged senate members to continue to think of concrete project ideas that could be worked towards completing.
The bulk of the meeting was spent on working to approve a new amendment drafted by the legislation committee. This amendment would firstly change the name of the “Service Committee” to the “Advocacy & Service Committee.”
This amendment also provides a clear definition as to what advocacy is, which is something that the current Student Senate constitution does not have, even though each class senate is required to have an advocacy project.
As outlined in the new amendment, the newly named Advocacy & Service Committee would continue the same duties it does as a Service committee, but in addition the committee would be in charge of approving or denying a proposed advocacy project from each class at the start of each fall semester.
Debate was held over the proposed amendment.
There was a motion to add a two-thirds majority vote of the Advocacy & Service Committee to disapprove of a class’s proposed advocacy project, to which the vote passed.
A vote was then held to approve or deny the new amendment from being added to the constitution, to which the vote passed.
Moving into committee updates, Business Communications and Traditions focused around finishing up preparations for homecoming weekend.
Advocacy & Service Committee Chair Maddi Holmberg spoke briefly about the Into the Streets service event on Sat. Oct. 23. Holmberg will be giving a PowerPoint presentation about the event during the next senate meeting.
Student Senate meets weekly on Thursdays at 3:45 p.m. in Hoover 212. Meetings are open to all of the campus community.
