This covers the SGA meeting held on March 27
Climate Check:
Assistant Treasurer Avery Lim mentioned that, following SGA’s recent funding of the semester’s remaining Nacho Hours, she noticed that high amounts of food were still being wasted. Upon attending the event last week, Assistant Treasurer Lim counted four tubs of queso that were almost completely untouched and asked if it would be possible to talk to someone about measuring portions out to minimize further waste. President Danny Nguyen recommended reaching out to the Chartwells live feedback system at 830-465-3669 to let them know.
Junior Senator Andrew Phillips complained that the elevator in Bruce Thomas Hall was still taking a long time to close its doors and questioned if it had been looked at. Sophomore Senator Omar Ratrut answered that the elevator had seemingly been repaired when he last used it.
Staff Chat: Title IX and Equal Opportunity Services
Nicole Monsibais, Trinity’s new Title IX and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) coordinator, introduced herself to members of SGA, wanting to provide some background on herself and the responsibilities of her new position. Monsibais took on the role of Title IX and EEO coordinator over spring break, and has been looking for ways to get more familiar with her new campus since.
Monsibais emphasized that she has always loved working in higher education, and that in the last five years, her duties at other campuses have heavily involved Title IX, which continues to evolve on both a national and state level. One of her main goals as she acclimates to Trinity is building connections, namely through meeting with departments and organizations alike in hopes of finding ways to collaborate and educate students and faculty. Monsibais said that she had already begun reaching out to student-led groups on campus, such as Fraternity/Sorority Life and Academic Honor Council, in order to begin forming these relationships while Trinity’s Title IX policy receives some attention this summer.
To have the Title IX office better understand the student body, Monsibais announced that she would also be forming a task force that incorporates student feedback into upcoming policy changes. She stressed it was important to her that students at Trinity were seeing and getting what they wanted out of Title IX, as well as understanding its purpose on a college campus. One aspect of Title IX students can expect to change is the mandatory sexual assault awareness training that all first-year students undergo during their orientation. Monsibais said that these modules have a place in terms of providing a foundation and building awareness of the issue, but they shouldn’t be the only thing Trinity relies on.
Monsibais ended her time with SGA by encouraging students to vocalize any questions or concerns regarding the Title IX office, as she wanted to ensure accessibility to all students on campus. To provide further input, President Nguyen suggested Monsibais reach out to members of SGA for further networking opportunities with student organizations she hadn’t yet met.
Officer Reports
President Nguyen advertised the Tiger’s Night Out event with San Antonio FC on Saturday and drew attention to a small pool of extra tickets students could enter a raffle drawing for. President Nguyen also reminded SGA that election results for the 2024-2025 academic year would be released on Friday.
Vice President Caterina Mora also issued a reminder that University Sponsored Organization (USO) funding would be taking place over the next three weeks, and that for those funding sessions SGA would not be allowed computers in the room. Vice President Mora said this was a decision to incentivize SGA members to actually pay attention to and participate in funding those proposals, with details provided in USO packets that members of SGA can turn to if they have questions.
Next week’s meeting will include another staff chat, this time with Brandi Jones, Trinity’s inaugural vice president of inclusive engagement. President Nguyen announced that this staff chat would precede the last senate funding session of the semester.
Funding Requests:
Top Naach: Momentum 2024 — $1,563.08
A representative from Top Naach presented a proposal to fund Momentum, an annual, student-run dance showcase featuring members from the Prowlers, Top Naach and Loon-E-Crew. Momentum accepts anyone into the show, regardless of experience, and this year, the event is also partnering with students from Nathan Stith’s stage management class. The majority of the proposed budget was made up of costume expenses, as each performer would need two costumes for different portions of the showcase.
With an audience turnout of over 300 for last year’s performances, junior Senator Allison Waters asked about turnout expectations for the showcase this year, to which the presenter answered that the performance would be held in the Stieren Theater, with a capacity of 250 seats for three nights each. Assistant Treasurer Lim questioned about the substantial cost of the costumes in comparison to past years, but the presenter clarified that was ultimately the result of a larger number of participants and that the costumes could be reused.
Sophomore Senator Bocar Diagana motioned to fully fund the proposal, with junior Senator Ella Charbonnet seconding. The motion ultimately passed.
Alpha Kappa Psi: National Convention 2024 — $2,315.90
Alpha Kappa Psi asked SGA to fund its expenses for members traveling to the business fraternity’s National Convention, where student participants will be able to develop their professional and leadership skills as well as partake in discussions to learn and share ideas between chapter members. Of the 60 or so active members at Trinity’s chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi, only three students were selected to go to the convention in Indianapolis. While the organization requires dues for all of its members to support entrepreneurial events, the convention’s costs have changed, affecting plane tickets, hotel fees and ground transport.
Senior Senator Lucy Orosco asked the presenters how this event was funded in the past, and they disclosed that previously, it has come out of chapter funds, but due to a large number of networking events this year as well as inflation, higher price tags forced the organization to find a different path. Senator Charbonnet also asked about the length of the trip — the presenters explained that in the past, the trip would have been a shorter retreat hosted by the fraternity outside of its headquarters in Indianapolis, but in response to COVID, the convention shifted into a longer affair with more events.
After an initial tabling of the discussion, senior Senator Maria Duenas emphasized that Alpha Kappa Psi’s other entrepreneurial events have been successful, with their organization’s members almost tripling within the last year alone. First-year Senator Patricia Hermoso also voiced admiration for the group’s choice to take younger members, including two sophomores and a junior. Senator Diagana motioned to fully fund their proposal, and Senator Ratrut seconded. The motion passed.
Commencement Committee: Commencement Rideshare Initiative — $2,625.00
The last proposal of the night was presented by members of the Commencement Committee, who were asking for funding to cover the cost of Uber vouchers that graduating students can use come commencement on May 11. Each graduating student will receive a $5 voucher that they or their family can use, in the hopes that the initiative will relieve traffic congestion on campus. Senator Hermoso asked why the vouchers were only $5, to which the presenters responded that it was ultimately a decision to allow the most number of students to have a voucher of some value rather than none at all.
The effectiveness of this initiative was also questioned, as it returned from last year, where only a few students reportedly utilized the Uber voucher. First-year Senator Claire Binns questioned whether the initiative worked to minimize traffic flow at all, but the presenters said only about 20 vouchers were used. To further encourage the vouchers to be used this year, the presenters will be pushed advertising materials harder, including information on the commencement website. Senator Waters motioned to fully fund the initiative. Senior Senator Adam Garza seconded, and the motion passed.
