CLIMATE CHECK
Senior Senator Pierce Jackson reported that the lights at the tennis courts had been restored and that the electronic billboards would finish installation over the weekend.
First-year Senator Pilar Mier brought up the poor condition of the billiards table with only one functional cue and no chalk in the Tiger’s Den. President Joy Areola said that new billiards tables are expensive, but resurfacing would be cheaper. Areola discussed the idea of making the Tiger’s Den more popular, starting with a computer lab with Canva or Grammarly premium accounts.
Senior Senator Jackson Delhagen asked about a university event focused on Palestine being rescheduled multiple times. Associate Dean of Students Benjamin Williams explained that the delay is related to safety concerns regarding recent government policies and international students.
STAFF CHAT
Osvaldo Crespo, Director of Environmental Health and Safety, presented to SGA about his department’s duties and their recent concerns. Crespo spoke about the risks of lithium-ion batteries in electric scooters, bikes and skateboards. Crespo shared concerns about the batteries’ ability to spontaneously burst into flames when overcharged, overheated or exposed to water.
Senators pitched some of their ideas for preventing fires. First-year Senator Nellie Clark proposed that students with electric vehicles in their rooms register with the university, Crespo said they had considered having students register their electric vehicles.
OFFICER REPORTS
Vice President Allison Waters followed up on a previous movement to provide access to Canva Pro and Grammarly Premium for the entire Trinity student body. Waters announced that Trinity will soon have a Canva Pro account for free for registered student organizations to use through a check-in system with the Student Engagement and Development office.
Senators also debated over changes to how voting works in the SGA constitution. SGA deliberated over whether the presidential candidates should win by simple or absolute majority. Sophomore Senator Madelyn Stovall, Communication Chair Eve Slemp and Inclusion and Belonging Chair Omar Ratrut discussed the importance of student voting representation by having a run-off election if there are more than three candidates and no candidate with a 51% majority. There was an additional discussion over whether the percentages each candidate won should be released to the public or not. Sophomore Senator Patricia Hermoso agreed with making vote percentages public information in order to promote transparency in runoffs, but Senator Stovall and Inclusion and Belonging Chair Ratrut expressed concern over the damaging effects it would have on the losers’ mental health and public image. No final decisions on changes were reached during the meeting.
*Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly reported that students would be gaining access to Canva Pro. Canva Pro will not be available for individual student use, but will be made available for registered student organizations to use via a check-in system in the future.
