Climate Check:

Sophomore Senator Ani Siva opened climate check with an update on the collaboration between Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and SGA that was proposed last semester, stating that any interested senators should email him. Senator Siva also announced that there would be a meeting on Jan. 26 to begin planning a student oversight committee for campus dining services.

Sophomore Senator Ella Charbonnet gave an update on the menstrual product dispensers, stating that they will be placed in restrooms in Dicke Hall, Coates Library and Coates Student Center next week. Senator Charbonnet has reached out to the volunteer team who will be restocking the dispensers.

Voting on Faculty & Staff Handbook Revisions:

The Senate voted on a revision in the Faculty & Staff Handbook. The proposed changes were in regard to the handbook language regarding membership on the Board of Campus Publications. The changes were 1) preference for at least one board member to be a representative from the department of communication 2) the hiring of an adviser for Student Publications, a non-voting member of the board 3) and board members being able to serve multiple 3-year appointments. The Faculty Senate approved the revisions before SGA’s vote.

President Danny Nguyen motioned to approve the revisions. Senior Senator Ameer Mustafa seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Senator 2024 Special Election:

Throughout this portion of the meeting, there was an ongoing debate between President Nguyen and Senatory Charbonnet on the pronunciation of “notify” and ”notification.”

The senate heard from four potential candidates for the vacant 2024 senator position before conducting a vote.

Adam Garza, junior neuroscience and global Latinx studies major, spoke to the Senate about his interest in serving on SGA, citing his leadership experience as a STEM tutor, TULA president and secretary for Trinity University (TU) Pro-Choice; as well as his commitment to diversity, allyship and desire to represent low income and first-generation students — as a low-income first-generation student himself.

Dhiraj Veerappan, junior neuroscience major and business minor, spoke to the Senate about his desire to serve the Trinity community and better the lives of students by serving on SGA and cited his experience in high school debate. Veerappan stated that as a senator he would address dining on campus, claiming that Aramark does not provide sufficient nutrition for students to succeed and that the high cost of a dining plan does not match the quality of the food.

Tucker Craft, junior, said he was passionate about building bonds between the student body and the administration and wished to address inclusivity, environmental regulations and the disbursement of the student activity fund (SAF). Craft also explained his past leadership experience as the former competition coordination chair for the mock trial club and his role as a DEI chair for a fraternity. Some issues on campus Craft identified were sustainability on campus, ensuring accessibility with ongoing construction and the usage of gas-powered leaf blowers. Craft also proposed initiatives to organize student workshops and mobilize LGBTQ organizations on campus.

Kyle Rubovits, junior finance major and philosophy minor, explained he wanted to be a senator to give back to a community that has done a lot for him and cited his experience working on a campus finance research team studying endowment expenditure. Rubovits expressed interest in being a part of the finance committee and pitched an initiative focused on improving food, parking and housing on campus.

After hearing speeches from each candidate, the Senate discussed the strengths of the different applicants. The Senate voted to instate Rubovits as a senator for the class of 2024. Rubovits received nine votes, Garza received four, Craft received two and Veerappan received one.

Officer Reports:

President Nguyen announced that SGA would be meeting on Monday, Feb.13 in Dicke Hall 208 to accommodate special guest Ron Nirenberg, San Antonio mayor.

President Nguyen also announced that next week the Senate will vote on changes to the bylaws proposed by the constitutional review committee, as well as give a voice of approval to proposed changes to the constitution before they are shared with the student body for approval.

President Nguyen stated that SGA was working with Mindy Miller Hill, director of corporate relations, and the San Antonio Spurs.

President Nguyen shared a reminder that Whataburger would be providing 500 free meals to students as a part of their feeding student success program on Jan. 26, and announced that Vanessa Beasley, president of Trinity University, and Ed Nelson, CEO of Whataburger, will be in attendance. First-year senator Sameed Aijaz asked if Whataburger would be providing any vegan or vegetarian options. President Nguyen explained that Whataburger chose what options they would provide, so they will only serve hamburgers with cheese and a bag of chips. Senator Siva mentioned that he has received feedback from students with dietary restrictions who would like to participate in events like this one. Advisor Brown suggested that if a partner only offers a limited menu, SGA should provide another option for those with dietary restrictions.

President Nguyen reminded the Senate that the marketing office and the inauguration committee would like SGA to promote the investiture on Feb. 11 on social media.

President Nguyen announced that effective August 2023 the university would move from TLearn to Canvas. Senator Waters asked if TigerPaws will also be replaced. Advisor Brown explained that TigerPaws will be phased out over time, but won’t be completely gone until 2024 or 2025.

Vice President Ahmadi announced that USO budget proposals are due March 29.