CLIMATE CHECK
Junior Senator Sabrina Cinque requested updates on Residential Life and the City Vista gym. President Joy Areola said Residential Life is switching to a new program for housing selection which should include improvements to the priority of selection. The current contracts with a third-party cleaning service are also dated, so Residential Life is working to have RAs walk through and check that cleanliness standards are met. President Areola stated she wants weekly recaps of meetings available to students detailing updates on the changes. Junior Senator Rohit Shetty said he sent out a survey over improvements to the Bell Center.
STAFF CHAT
Brandi Jones, vice president for People, Culture and Community, stated she wants inclusive engagement and intentional inclusion to become woven throughout Trinity’s community. She believes Trinity has limited community relations and aims to deepen connections with San Antonio.
Jones stated students should be able to push for whatever changes they want to see, and SGA is responsible for hearing the student body’s concerns. She believes there should be no limits on SGA’s voice. She recommended SGA put forth a coordinated effort to present students’ concerns. Jones believes SGA and administration should push against each other constructively to create change. She also asked senators to use every avenue afforded to them to get the word out about their efforts.
Senator Shetty asked about efforts to bridge the faculty and students bodies. Jones pointed out that SGA is one of the ways to bridge that gap. While one student at a time isn’t going to cause change, Jones believes SGA creates opportunities for students to share challenges and choose which issues to tackle.
First-year Senator Nellie Clark asked if there were any initiatives started to strengthen Trinity’s community. Jones said there currently are none, but she is happy to collaborate with SGA to start initiatives.
Vice President Allison Waters brought up how students often find Title IX unapproachable and are unsure of the process after filing a report. Jones said her office is looking at making the entire process less intimidating as well as provide checkpoints on the progress of follow-up reports so students are informed how their reports are being processed.
Senior Senator Blaine Martin asked for her advice on how SGA can engage with the student body more effectively. She wants smaller environments and anonymous places to be available for people to share.
SENATOR VACANCY FILLING
To fill the sophomore senator vacancy, potential students came in to share their running positions. Cael Ferland, Sennett Yi, Maya Tsai, Nora Elkhadiji, Darcie Gulick, David Nilsen and Rachel Bell all came in to present their goals and qualifications for SGA. The current SGA members selected Tsai to fill the position.
Tsai is an accounting and finance major who has financed her family’s hair salon business. She stated she wanted SGA to follow up with changes they had implemented and ensure they are still running, giving the example of feminine products in bathrooms. She also said she wanted to improve communication with SGA and make it easier for students to share their issues.
OFFICER REPORTS
President Areola reminded SGA about the student satisfaction survey put out by Wells, Halloween on Oakmont and Trini-Tailgate, attendance at which is required for SGA members. There is also now an SGA feedback form, and First-year Senator Sydney Barner proposed it be placed in the Trinitonian.
Head Treasurer John Ferretti presented a financial report which will be made publicly available to the student body soon. Vice President Waters expressed concern that there might not be carryover funding from this year to the next.
