By Gabriella Lucci
Staff Writer
On Wednesday Feb. 12, Student Government members discussed policies regarding previously incarcerated employees and students at the College, in addition to the impeachment of general body members at their meeting in the Decker Social Space.
Emily Varga, the vice president for community relations, proposed a resolution to the general body for a new governance committee. The resolution, R-S2020-01: Creation of an Ad-Hoc Committee, would implement a new governance committee, consisting of two SG members to determine if the College’s current policies regarding the employment and education of those who have been previously incarcerated are relevant and updated.
Varga advocated for an Ad-Hoc committee to re-evaluate the policies and update them as needed, as there is a lack of data on current policies and the individuals who are currently employed by the College or enrolled in classes.
The resolution will be discussed at the next meeting.
During the cabinet reports, student trustee Chris Driscoll brought up the SG general body point system, arguing that the system is currently flawed. Originally, members who showed up for general body meetings, board meetings and preparations for events would receive positive points for the work they did. If they fail to show up, they receive negative points.
The members needed to receive 10 positive points and less than 20 negative points in order to hold their position in SG. Last semester, the majority of the general body did not reach the 10 point threshold and would have been impeached. However, the Judiciary Board realized some members did not receive points when they should have and reaching 10 points was too difficult.
The board saw it as a flaw in the point system and felt that it would have taken a toll on SG, ultimately deciding to impeach any members. Instead, it decided to give a second chance to the general body and fix the point system to make the goal of 10 points more acquirable.
Any member who did not meet the threshold of 10 positive points last semester will receive a do-over, and members who exceeded the required threshold will receive up to three points at the start of this semester.
During the cabinet reports, Neil Trivedi, the vice president for administration and finance, announced that during his meeting with Michael Dixon, the vice president of facilities, renovations for the Travers and Wolfe towers were discussed.
Dixon’s motto is “Sustainability is key.” He is looking to switch the College to a hydrogen-based fuel system and heat the entire campus with hot water rather than steam.
During the governance reports, the Committee on Academic Programs reported that it is looking to make changes to the readmission policy that was presented last semester, using the feedback that was received by the general body.
The undergraduate internship policy is also being reviewed and a graduate certificate in environmental sustainability is in the works.
During the Class Council reports, the class of 2020 council announced that it will be hosting its first senior night of the spring semester at Xfinity Live, in Philadelphia, PA, on Feb. 22. Seniors were encouraged to check their emails for more information that will be sent in the near future. Additionally, on Feb. 27, the class of 2020 is hosting a “Renting in NYC” info session, which will teach students how to rent properties in the city.
The Class of 2021 council discussed two possible fundraisers, including a tie-dye t-shirt fundraiser and a Chick-fil-A fundraiser.
The Class of 2022 council discussed its upcoming events, such as a laptop sticker fundraiser, baby goat yoga and a lecture from Mikhail Varshavski, or “Doctor Mike,” on March 24 in the Mayo Concert Hall.
The Class of 2023 council discussed its “Professional for Dummies” event, encouraging seniors to give valuable advice to underclassmen.
