The following covers the meeting on April 11.
CLIMATE CHECK
Junior senator Juana Suarez recounted a discussion that she had with Sharon Curry, sustainability coordinator, about the addition of solar panels on CSI. Curry said that this was not feasible, but informed Suarez that solar panels had been proposed as part of the Chapman-Halsell Complex renovations. Suarez explained her plan to write a memo that people could cosign and that they could send to the appropriate admisinstrators in support of incorporating solar panels into the renovations. Suarez also proposed that they look into researching food insecurity on campus and open a food pantry if there is need.
USO FUNDING REQUESTS
Representatives for Greek Council requested $31,875 from the Student Activity Fund for their 2019-2020 budget, an amount equal to what they received last year. The majority of the budget would go to sending all 10 members to a national conference in San Diego and organizing the GreekU retreat. The Council also plans to restart Greek Week, a week of events for all Greek life organizations. Junior senator Adelle Green asked about the $500 line item for professional apparel, which representatives explained is for 10 custom embroidered shirts for Council members to wear at the conference.
Representatives for Recreational Sports requested $199,550 to fund intramural and club sports, Outdoor Recreation and Bell Center operations. The amount is $7,114.14 more than they received last year. Representatives explained that all areas of Recreational Sports have seen increased participation. Initiatives for the next year include expanding programming for those with physical disabilities and introducing new intramural sports that are popular in other countries to encourage international student participation, such as badminton.
Representatives for the Student Ambassadors requested $24,775, which is $2,847 less than they were granted last year. The Ambassadors will no longer be participating in an annual conference and will not be purchasing new polos or ties. Additions to the budget included $900 for campus outreach and programming, $750 for future alumni week, $750 for the ring ceremony and $600 for countdown to commencement.
CHIK-FIL-A
Junior Ty Tinker, SGA president, posed the question of whether or not Trinity should continue to host Chick-fil-A in Revolve given the recent controversy surrounding the restaurant’s donations to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations. Adviser David Tuttle encouraged senators to attend the forum hosted by the Dean of Student’s Office and the Trinionian next Wednesday, April 17, at 8 p.m. in the Waxahachie Room. Tuttle plans that this forum will allow his office to make a recommendation to the university about whether Chick-fil-A’s vendor contract should be renewed next year. Sophomore senator Claire Carlson argued that Chick-fil-A is easily substitutable and that if the university wants to be able to say that they support diversity and inclusion, they should not continue to support the restaurant. Suarez expressed that she feels unsafe and unsupported with Chick-fil-A on campus. First-year senator Noor Rahman said that there is a large difference between some students going to Chick-fil-A on their own and the university hosting the restaurant. Tuttle encouraged senators to research Chick-fil-A and make sure they have the correct facts before participating in next Wednesday’s forum.
