By Megan Kelly
Staff Writer
On Wednesday, Sept. 14, Student Government (SG) held its first meeting of the fall semester. The meeting was primarily used for introducing cabinet members and acquainting new and potential SG members to the layout of meetings, but salient points included the announcement and explanation of the Student Organization Advancement Retreat (SOAR) and that the SG scholarship has reached endowment.
The meeting began with the introduction of each cabinet member and a few words about their respective positions and responsibilities. Afterwards, Executive President Kevin Kim introduced the first topic: SOAR.
SOAR is a meeting between student organizations to discuss goals and ideas that student leaders have for their respective groups. Previously, the event had taken place on a weekend and was an all-day affair, but this year, the retreat will be on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in room 115 of the Education Building from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
More information about the retreat will be given during the first half of the event, which is planned to last about an hour and a half, and the second half will be a time for the student groups to collaborate on their ideas rather than listen to lectures, which had been done in previous retreats
“Different focus areas are going to meet together and collaborate and discuss different issues in their areas,” Kim said.
Later on in the meeting, Vice President of Advancement Samantha Williams announced that the Student Government scholarship has exceeded its endowment goal and has currently raised $26,183.29.
“We have worked really hard through the past few years to get this scholarship going, and now our hard work is coming to fruition,” Williams said.
Vice President for Governmental Affairs Tori Mazzola later announced a Constitution Day Bingo planned for Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in room 115 of the Education Building.
“Basically, it’s like normal bingo at TCNJ... so yes, gift cards, prizes, we’re about it, but it’s going to be focused around the Constitution and the U.S.,” Mazzola said.
Mazzola also spoke about TurboVote, a website that streamlines the process of registering to vote and makes it easier for students to fill out absentee ballots. Mazzola will speak about TurboVote more at the next meeting.
Lastly, sophomore class council President Carly Mauro announced there is full funding for a Moonlight Cruise for the sophomore class. The cruise will take place on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 11:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., and the cruise is limited to 200 students.
