STAFF CHAT
CLIMATE CHECK
Marcy Youngdahl, director of Integrated Counseling, Health and Wellness Services, attended SGA’s meeting on Nov. 19 to update senators on the JED Campus initiative. Youngdahl announced that 25% of students partially filled out the survey, and 19% fully completed the survey, and she said that the number of respondents were higher than normal. JED Campus is still reviewing and analyzing the data, but the task force had some conclusions to present to SGA. Among these is the fact that almost half of respondents reported that they felt isolated at Trinity and a low sense of belonging. Youngdahl said that there was a link between a low sense of belonging with all other factors, such as academic success and loneliness. Youngdahl laid out the roadmap for the initiative moving forward. The JED Campus Task Force will develop its new strategic plan by the end of May based on the survey results and a student focus group hosted in January. They will implement the plan throughout the next two years. The JED Campus Task Force will then conduct a survey to measure the success of the plan to determine the next steps.
FUNDING REQUESTS
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: FULLY FUNDED FOR $202.25
The Trinity chapter of Doctors Without Borders requested $202.25 from SGA to visit CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital and paint ornaments, drink hot cocoa and watch a documentary with child patients. They said they’re expecting around 50 people to show up based on last year’s event success. Senators approved of the event, voting to fully fund it unanimously.
TRINITY MOCK TRIAL: FULLY FUNDED FOR $1,664.24
Trinity Mock Trial requested $1,664.24 to attend Baylor University’s Green and Gold Invitational Tournament. The team recently won three awards at a recent invitational in Houston. The representatives said that the event was their second and most important invitational of the year, and that they had seen success in the same competition last year. Senators acknowledged that they funded their last invitational and that there was nothing wrong with their budget, fully funding the request unanimously.
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS: FULLY FUNDED FOR $221.91
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) requested $221.91 to host their annual gingerbread house competition. The competition will consist of three or four teams constructing gingerbread houses, and the winners will receive gift cards and a trophy. ASME brought down the competition’s cost by making their own gingerbread beforehand. Senators said that the competition sounded like a good way to relieve stress before finals, and unanimously fully funded the request.
TRINITY UNIVERSITY PLAYERS SOCIETY: FULLY FUNDED FOR $752.91
Trinity University Players Society requested $752.91 for their production of “Eccentricities of a Nightingale.” The show covers themes such as social class in the Southern United States and Christianity’s role in the South. The request covered funds for props, costumes, set pieces and the rights to produce the show. Senators approved of the show and unanimously funded the request in full.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS SERVICES: DENIED $3,752.64 IN FULL
Student workers for Trinity’s Health and Wellness Services requested $3,752.64 to attend a National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Strategies Conference in Chicago. Four students will be presenting research at the conference as well. Health and Wellness is covering parts of funding, but students requested funds for hotels, food and transport from SGA. At the beginning of deliberations, Associate Dean of Students Ben Williams prefaced that if senators decided to fund this request, it would set the precedent for any university department to request and receive funding from SGA. Sophomore Senator Nellie Clark said that since students were presenting research at the conference, this would fall under the Student Activity Fund’s jurisdiction and should be funded by SGA. However, Chief of Staff Bocar Diagana countered that the precedent it would set is untenable for SGA. The motion to deny the request in full passed nine votes to three.
The senators who voted against the motion, Senator Clark, senior Senator Alex Brown and senior Senator Rohit Shetty said that the benefits this conference offered to students could’ve been great. They said that more effort should’ve been made to work around the potential precedent in order to help students. First-year Senator Luke Schaper abstained from voting, saying that while he wanted to help the students present their research, he didn’t want to set a precedent either. He said that he wasn’t able to make up his mind by the time of the vote.
OFFICER REPORT
Judicial Chair Odi Aneji, who leads the Academic Honor Council reform, talked to senators about how to foster a culture of academic integrity at Trinity. Senator Shetty said that “busy work,” such as discussion posts, made students inclined to use artificial intelligence due to the monotonous nature of the work. Inclusion and Belonging Chair Ayesha Farrukh said that the culture of assigning students massive workloads also promotes cheating, stating that expecting students to complete an impossible amount of work is common in Trinity classes and seems to increase every semester.
*Adom Richards is a member of TUPS.
