This week at the Student Government Association’s (SGA) weekly executive board meeting, representatives on the executive board discussed myriad different initiatives for the semester, many of which will take place within the upcoming weeks.

On Wednesday, October 21, the SGA sponsored the “Home” Brown Bag. Members of various other campus groups, including Konosioni, Link Staff and the Residential Commons program, held the discussion. Panelists speaking at the event included seniors Hunter Hillman and Isabelle James, junior Chloe Tawaststjerna and sophomores Hyeon Jeong and JuliaPaige Joseph. The brown bag was a way of trying to address feelings of homesickness that students may be having, specifically as first-year students. Students of all class years were encouraged to attend.

One upcoming event is the SGA’s fireside chat. SGA Elections Commissioner sophomore Alison Sheehan is working on setting this event up, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on Wednesday, October 28. At the fireside chat, members of the SGA from the executive board, Senate and Class Council will interact with members of the Colgate community to learn more about current SGA initiatives.

Another event that will be occurring in the next few weeks is a Sexual Climate Forum. This forum, which is scheduled for Friday, November 6, will be an open discussion for students to discuss the results of the Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) Consortium about sexual assault that will be released that week. The forum will follow two brown bags, on Wednesday, November 4 and Thursday, November 5, which will inform the student body of the results of the sexual climate survey across various college campuses, including Colgate’s campus. As a Sexual Climate Advisory Committee Intern and Senior Executive Advisor for the SGA, senior Charity Whyte is involved in organizing this forum, along with other students who lead positive sexuality groups on campus. More information about the forum will be available in the next few weeks.

Executive board members also discussed their own individual projects. ITS Policy Coordinators sophomore Abe Benghiat and junior Daniel Luntzel are working on a project to ensure that students have access to chargers and USB cables within the various study areas on campus, such as at the library. This will be a way for students to have chargers readily available to them. Benghiat and Luntzel are also working to ensure that the service called Grammarly, which helps students to detect grammar mistakes and incidences of plagiarism in their papers before they submit their assignments, will continue to be available for students to use in the future. Benghiat was the guest on this week’s “SGA Segment” radio show to discuss SGA initiatives, both those that he is specifically working on and the initiatives that members are working on as a whole.

The various different committees made up of senators are each working on their own respective projects. The Academic Affairs Committee (AAC), led by sophomore Senator Woohee Kim, is focusing on passing a resolution that will increase InterGroup Dialogue (IGD) within classes at Colgate. The committee is also hoping to get professors to post grades on the Moodle site.

The External Affairs Committee (EAC), led by sophomore Senator Derek Baker, is working on the “State of Hamilton,” a way to try to improve relations between the residents of Hamilton and students living or participating in activities on Broad Street. They are also working on several other initiatives, including developing a “know your rights campaign,” creating discount cards for students making purchases at businesses in the town of Hamilton and starting an SGA day of service with the Max A. Schaknai Center for Outreach, Volunteerism and Education (COVE).

The Student Affairs Committee (SAC), led by sophomore Senator Ryan Stahlin is working on trying to get a vending machine at the library that will sell school supplies for students who find that they need them. In addition to this, the committee plans to look into possible funds for establishing an ATM at the library.

The Student Organizations Committee (SOC), led by junior SGA/Center for Leadership and Student Involvement (CLSI)

Liaison to Student Organizations Natalie Pudalov, is working on trying to approve groups on campus. They are also working to update Colgate’s Get Involved site and encourage campus groups to use the website as a resource and informational tool.

At the Senate meeting before fall break, on Tuesday, October 6, senators engaged in discussion with District Manager of Chartwells Dining Services Daniel Dawkins. In attendance was also Resident District Manager of Chartwells Dining Services Scott Hughes. Dawkins explained to the students that Chartwells is trying its best to be receptive to student input and to make rapid changes based on the requests from students. Dawkins took questions and comments from members of the Senate and has since been working to implement these requests.

Students in attendance at this meeting also listened to a presentation from Benghiat. Along with Benghiat’s position on the executive board, he is also a member of the Committee for Budget and Financial Planning. As a representative from this committee, he discussed the budget, showing tables and charts that explained the various ways that Colgate allocates its funds. In addition to this presentation, senators approved the Tap Troupe to become an officially recognized group on campus. The Tap Troupe hopes to act as a group of students, both experienced and with little to no experience, in which students can practice and perform tap routines.

At this week’s Senate meeting, on the evening of Tuesday,

October 20, Associate Dean for Conduct Kimberly Taylor spoke to the senators about the role of the Conduct Board, and new members of Colgate’s Conduct Board sought approval from the Senate. In addition to this, students interested in having their group, called Spoon University, approved to be a recognized Colgate group went before Senate to gain such recognition. Lastly, Kim and members of the AAC went before Senate to present their resolution for increased IGD in the classroom, as a way of attempting to make the Colgate classroom a more inclusive space for all students.