The following covers the meeting on Feb. 18.
CLIMATE CHECK
Senior Senator Rohit Shetty raised the idea of gauging student interest in a food pantry and asked if other SGA members would like to help plan it. — He is currently working on a student survey. Senator Shetty recommended since SGA is combining all class socials, they should take that as an opportunity to let students voice their concerns on food security and third spaces.
SENATE FUNDING REQUESTS
DELTA SIGMA PI: FULLY FUNDED FOR $1,800
Delta Sigma Pi (DSP) requested $1,800 for an employment etiquette dinner to teach 20 members etiquette, habits, credentials and readiness through a professional trainer. A DSP alumnus will host the dinner, and Mark Detterick, chief financial officer, will provide the food. Chief of Staff Bocar Diagana questioned funding a fraternity, mentioning that SGA does not fund third rounds for Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL). President Omar Ratrut said that DSP is not a university-sponsored organization (USO) and is fully maintained by students, differentiating it from FSL organizations. Sophomore Senator Nellie Clark motioned to fully fund, to which 12 Senators voted in favor, with one abstention.
FILIPINO STUDENT ASSOCIATION: FULLY FUNDED FOR $2,029.93
Filipino Student Association (FSA) requested $2,029.93 for their annual “Mabuhay Showcase,” a cultural event celebrating Filipino culture occurring in Laurie Auditorium from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 27. Loon-E Crew, Prowlers and other organizations will perform, and the event will serve Filipino cuisine. Sophomore Senator Andrew Cernosek motioned to fully fund FSA, and senators unanimously voted in favor.
ALPHA KAPPA PSI: FULLY FUNDED FOR $1,850.65
Alpha Kappa Psi (AKPsi) requested $1,850.65 to attend “Elevate,” a national AKPsi conference taking place in Chicago from Feb. 6-8. They spoke on members’ networking connections from last year’s conference. Sophomore Senator Eva Smith questioned the Uber transportation costs, and asked if there was an alternative. President Ratrut said that it is not up to SGA to decide the most viable option for the club. Senator Brown motioned to fully fund the request, which senators unanimously approved.
SOUTH ASIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION: FULLY FUNDED FOR $2,859.11
South Asian Student Association (SASA) requested $2,859.11 for their annual Holi festival taking place on March 20 on Prassel Lawn. SASA plans to provide attendees with free T-shirts, Indian cuisine, music and a tie-dye station. Senator Cernosek motioned to fully fund, and all senators unanimously voted in favor of doing so.
OFFICER REPORTS
President Ratrut asked about upcoming class socials and said that he has received less updates than expected regarding their progress. He asked whether underclassmen and upperclassmen socials should be combined, to which Senator Clark responded that the Feb. 26 underclassmen social is already planned. She said that if the funding for both socials were combined, then they could merge the two events. All senators agreed, and President Ratrut requested that one senator from each class volunteer to serve as a mediator to plan the social. Freshman senators Sindhu Atluri and Annie Trammel, Sophomore Senator Nellie Clark, Junior Senator Camryn Sperling and Senior Senator Rohit Shetty all volunteered and are in charge of finalizing the combined class social.
