By Editor-In-Chief Gabriella Barthe
Student Government has been hard at work this semester to get traction in their endeavors. After reports of Technical Services’ rising costs and concerns over parking on campus, the Student Government Association has begun marching forward to address new topics.
Max Ciarlone (MassPirg) addressed his concerns regarding the MassPirg chapter at UMass Dartmouth during the October 7, 2019 open forum. During this time Max made sure to remind students of the work they currently have under way which included garnering 400 petitions for their most recent campaign, and general insight into their Open Access Week which is meant to spread awareness for open access to textbooks and the like.
Student Trustee Amanda Kuffoh reported on efforts to build a connection with other UMass Trustees for on campus events while also touching on attempts to incorporate more open-education resources into UMass Dartmouth in the same vein as MassPirg.
During their roundtable, Kate Egan, current President, History and Physics double major and class of 2020, reported on the Unity House Director selection process. The remaining time focused on general infrastructure concerns.
Amidst this infrastructure updates were reports of broken vending machines across campus, water filters needing to be replaced in the Library wall units, outdoor path lights being out, dumpsters behind Hickory and Birch taking up a few of the minimal parking lots available on campus, and telephone boxes in the buildings not working properly. The SGA committee has made sure that work orders are put in or the proper individuals have been notified of these concerns.
A notable change was brought up regarding the Woodland Commons’ total capacity. Previously, the meeting and activity space could house 500 individuals at a given time. Though, due to HVAC issues in the building this capacity has been reduced to 300 so as to keep temperature levels safe for all individuals.
Outside of the general discussion Senator Elections took place to fill some of the open seats available this year. Two College of Arts and Sciences(CAS) seats have been filled by Bryan Nju-Ghong and Daniel Schiek. One Class of 2022 Senator Seat has now been filled by Valentina Luma. Currently, there are open seats for both the College of Engineering (COE) and Charlton College of Business(CCB).
Amidst the committee reports was the Diversity, Social Justice, and Inclusion committee’s updates on attempts to work with CWGS and COIN to handle Trans issues across campus. Currently, students who identify as Trans have concerns regarding discrimination, bathroom use, and the lack of ability to update their accounts. Aliases are able to set up though the University will still recognize and list individuals by previous names. A goal is in place to create an outlet to for individuals to gain help with these issues.
If you have any rising concerns, Student Government Association has a number of committees with the goal of addressing them head on including: Axillary Services, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Library, Infrastructure, Civic Engagement, and Diversity, Social Justice, and Inclusion.
As always, Student Government Association meets on Mondays at 6 PM. For this reason, this past week there was no meeting due to the school’s observance of the holiday.