The Student Government Association (SGA) held its first Senate meeting on Tuesday, September 15 at 7 p.m. in Persson Auditorium. The SGA introduced new senators and executive board members at the event, and Vice President and Dean of the College Suzy Nelson spoke. Nelson presented a draft of the blueprints for a building that Colgate is planning on constructing in the vicinity of the existing Andrews and Stillman Residence Halls. Along with Associate Vice President for Facilities and Capital Projects Annette Angueira, Nelson shared the plans that the university has to renovate these buildings as part of the Residential Commons program. Nelson and Angueira came to the Senate meeting in order to try to get student input on the initial plans for the project, showing visual images and explaining what these renovations would look like. The Residential Commons program has already begun for students living in the Curtis and Drake Residence Halls this academic year.

This week, the SGA is taking applications for governance board positions. The deadline for applying was extended to Tuesday, September 29. Students can apply for positions on various different committees, such as on the Academic Affairs Board, the Committee on Budget and Financial Planning, and the Committee on ALANA Affairs. These various positions will allow students to become more involved in working to help with SGA initiatives and assisting in changing Colgate’s campus. Elections Commissioners sophomores Sage Krombolz and Alison Sheehan are facilitating the elections process; if you have any questions, you can email [email protected] for more information.

Members of the executive board have been working on their own projects, based on their respective positions in the SGA. One such member is junior Natalie Pudalov, who is SGA/CLSI Liaison to Student Organizations. In addition to running the Activities Fair that took place on Friday, September 4, Pudalov meets with potential groups to figure out whether or not they can be approved to become student groups on campus.

Other executive board members that are working on projects include Sustainability Coordinator senior Ben Campbell, who is working to get the members of the SGA “Green Certified,” and Athletics Liaison senior Nick Laub, who is working to get an app related to Colgate athletics that could help to keep students interested in attending the university’s athletic events.

The SGA would like to express its sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Cathryn (Carey) Depuy ’19 and Ryan Adams ’19. SGA President Kegan Thompson and Class Council President for the Class of 2019 Michael Vitale spoke at the candlelight vigil on the evening of Monday, September 21 to honor the lives of Depuy and Adams. Students, faculty, staff and family came together to mourn and commemorate the loss of such incredible

members of the community.

“Two wonderful lives have been taken from our community. I urge all of us to not waste what time we have, the same time which was taken away from Carey and Ryan too abrupt, and too soon,” Thompson said at the vigil. “May Carey and Ryan rest in peace and our hearts go out to their family and friends at Colgate University and [in] Ridgefield, Connecticut.”