The following covers the meeting on April 22.
This was the final SGA meeting of the year, and both current and incoming SGA members were in attendance.
PASS/FAIL
For the past couple of weeks, SGA members have been meeting with university officials with concerns and complaints about the breadth of the pass/fail extension. Two meetings ago, SGA made plans to meet with Michael Soto, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, to discuss their concerns. Primarily, they believed the pass/fail option should extend to all classes — including major/minor and Pathways requirements and prerequisites.
SGA also discussed the length of the pass/fail deadline, explaining that they thought it was not enough time for students to figure out whether they would do well in a course given the circumstances of remote learning.
After a few members met with Soto, they discussed at the next meeting and planned talking points for an upcoming discussion with university president Danny Anderson.
On the same day of this meeting, vice president for Academic Affairs Deneese Jones sent an email to all students announcing that multiple changes had been made to pass/fail registration: All pass/fail requests for elective, Pathways and major/minor coursework will be approved, and the deadline to register a class as pass/fail is now December 17, 2020.
COATES CHANGES
Adviser David Tuttle, who is the dean of students and associate vice president for Student Life, introduced plans to redesign the area of Coates Student Center that houses the Commons. The plans include changing the layout of the southeast end and potentially including a new dining concept.
Tuttle explained that the changes would address traffic flow, give Revolve more space and allow more variety for food options with the new concept.
Charles Robles, director of Aramark, presented alongside Tuttle and explained that there were three main options for the potential concept: a deli option called Sandwich Shack, a sushi option called Sushic and a flatbread pizza program called Bene.
Robles and Tuttle asked for feedback from SGA members and said they’d like a decision by early summer to plan for the fall semester.
Current president Claire Carlson, junior, said she would work with incoming president Jaelen Harris, junior, to figure out a plan.
NYT SUBSCRIPTION
Earlier this semester, the New York Times stopped paying for someone to distribute their papers across campus, and SGA has discussed multiple times whether maintaining the cost of wages to keep the paper on campus was worth it. At this meeting, senators voted to cancel the print subscription and find a way to add value to campus that applies to more students with the cost they would have spent on the subscription.
TRANSITIONS
Adviser Jamie Thompson asked current SGA members to discuss their favorite memories and what they are most proud of from their time on SGA this year.
Afterwards, Thompson and Tuttle commended President Carlson and Vice President Georgia Roberts, junior, for their dedication and commitment to SGA.
Carlson and Roberts both gave short speeches, as did incoming president Harris and incoming vice president, sophomore Oliver Chapin-Eiserloh.
ELECTION RESULTS
This month, 741 students participate in the 2020-2021 SGA election. These are the results:
President: Jaelen Harris, ’21
Vice President: Oliver Chapin-Eiserloh, ’22
Class of 2023
Caden Young
Jack Williams
Emily Goll-Broyles
Sarah Pita
Sol Rivas Lopes
Class of 2022
Alexis Acevedo
Amiya Peddada
Gail Hodges Grady
Nasim Salehitezangi
Nicholas Janedis
Class of 2021
Addison Sheppard
Arielle Fletter
Julia Hyun
Kathryn Holy
Marcus Ahmad Mousavi
Gabriella Garriga • May 11, 2020 at 3:21 pm
I am upset that SGA canceled the NYT subscription. How were student voices consulted in this decision? Where will this money go instead?