Student Government Minutes- Feb. 25

Present: 10 Senators, Vice President of Student Government Jack Dowling, Assistant Dean of Students Amanda Villanueva, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs David Hao 

Absent: None

Quorum met? Yes

Committee Updates: 

• The Academic Affairs Committee posted a forum link to the St.Thomas app so students can give their input on the smoke and tobacco-free campus policy. The forum closed at 5 p.m. on Feb. 28. 
• Senator Chang said she is collaborating with Counseling and Disabilities Services to create care packages for stressed students. 
• Senator Alducin said he is working on buying hats and stickers to promote SG and the census. 
• The Census Committee is planning a pizza party at the seal. Flyers are going to be posted around campus to promote it. 
• The Catholic Identity Committee is hosting a religious art contest to introduce artists to Campus Ministry; however, instead of an art and poetry winner, the one art winner will receive an iPad. 

Old Business: 

The  Feb. 11 SG minutes were approved unanimously. 

New Business: 

Senate Resolution 04: Repealing Crooker Work Study Positions 

• The Senate wants to repeal SB 11 which established a Crooker work study position for the rest of the academic year. Repealing SB 11 will allocate $3,000 back to the senate budget. 
• SG plans to move its office hours from the COC office to the Old Bookstore in hopes of  interacting more with the student body.
• Participants also discussed changing “printer” to “printing” in line 11 of SR 04. SR 04 passed unanimously.

Legislative Activity 

• Senator Gutierrez said she is working with the Residence Council to provide $500 for new chairs in Guinan. 
• Senator Gutierrez is also working on a bill to give the UST Police Department funds to buy additional security cameras for Crooker Center, Guinan Hall and the Moran Parking Garage. 
• Senator Morales said she is working on a bill to replace the Crooker styrofoam to-go boxes with biodegradable ones. 
• Senator Morales also said she will be contacting the facilities staff to order two refillable water stations for campus. 
• Senator Edwards said he is working on a bill to give the theater department $4,000 to purchase more resources. 
• Pro Tempore Swartz said he is working on a survey to discover what students want in the student center. They will advertise the survey through flyers and campus announcements. A pair of Air Pod Pros will be raffled to increase engagement.

Announcements:

• Dowling thanked the SG senators who volunteered on Celts’ Day of Service on Feb. 15.
• Dowling congratulated the senators that were elected for the 2020-2021 academic year. 
• Associate Vice President of Student Affairs David Hao introduced himself as an SG Advisor. 
• The UST Drama Department performed “Peter and the Starcatcher” on Feb. 27-29. 

The next SG meeting was held on Mar. 10.