STAFF CHAT WITH THE DIVISION OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

Mark Detterick, vice president for finance and administration, apologized for his team’s lack of communication to the student body about the meal plan changes. He provided context, saying his department wants to reimagine dining service and quality, and introduced Brittany Thompson, executive director of Hospitality and Auxiliary Services, whom he said is the solution to the problems. Thompson proposed a Hospitality Advisory Committee to facilitate dialogue between Dining Services, students, SGA, Student Accessibility Services and other organizations.

QUESTIONS FROM SGA

Sophomore Senator Andrew Cernosek asked how removing meal swipe exchanges improves operations. Detterick said that the current meal exchange program is too “rich” for what Trinity charges, but that using Bonus Bucks is also simpler for student budgeting. Senior Senator Justin Wartell said that students have been asking for more flexible meal plans for a long time, but flexibility has decreased each year. Detterick said that because Trinity is a residential campus, without kitchens, the administration must enforce meal plans to ensure that students are fed.

Senator Clark asked what Coates’ purpose is if students can only go three times a week. Detterick responded that the Maroon Unlimited Plan offers five meal exchanges and said that students will need to budget their swipe exchanges at Coates. Inclusion and Belonging chair Ayesha Farrukh said that while Dining Services says they have made changes to students’ concerns, students have not seen those changes implemented. She also said students do not feel their dietary needs are being met at Mabee Dining Hall.

Senior senator Rosalie Leykum said Mabee, Breakfast & Co. and Coates’ hours have worsened since her first year at Trinity. She said it feels like the administration is trying to push students to Mabee, despite her and many students not having time to travel to lower campus daily. Detterick confirmed that they are trying to push students to Mabee, and that the issue is that Trinity, a 2,000-person school, has essentially two dining halls, which is costly. Andrew Wells, vice president of Student Affairs, said the “Campus Master Plan Open House,” held on April 22 from 12 to 2 p.m. in Skyline, will address these structural challenges, but he needs student feedback.

USO FUNDING PRESENTATIONS

TRINITONIANThe Trinitonian requested $97,786 for the 2026-2027 school year, including $60,000 in wages, an increase of $15,000 from the previous fiscal year, along with budgeting for a new Media Fest and event coordinator role. Sophomore Senator Sydney Barner asked about the increase in wages, to which the Trinitonian representative discussed a new tiered system and explained sustained financial challenges.

DELIBERATION

Inclusion and Belonging chair Farrukh said the budget could be lower. President Ratrut asked senators to consider that the $97,786 requested is for the Trinitonian’s full operating budget, and that revenue from advertisement sales and donations could potentially cover printing expenses. Senators deliberated on various line items, but many expressed that the representative was prepared.

MIRAGEThe Mirage requested $52,010 to employ 16 students, print their yearbooks, hire a copy editor, attend a convention and buy camera equipment. Representatives touched on improvements to captions, design and editing since last year. Inclusion and Belonging chair Farrukh said many departments on campus would loan them equipment. Senator Smith asked about a line item in their 2025-2026 budget that provided $1,200 for iMacs. The Mirage explained that ITS provided them with two iMacs for free, and they decided to reallocate those funds to other expenses.

President Ratrut asked how much each yearbook costs to produce; the Mirage said they make no net revenue from sales because production and sale prices are the same. Senator Smith asked about the unspent line item for their office supplies and furniture in their 2025-2026 budget. The Mirage said it has held those funds in case it needs to cover the cost of extra yearbooks ordered, and plans to evaluate at the end of the semester.

DELIBERATION

Senator Smith said SGA approved the Mirage’s office supplies and furniture line items last year to see if the increase would improve operations, but she does not think it has. Senator Clark said that SGA is essentially paying for yearbooks that students must purchase, which goes against Student Activity Fund (SAF) guidelines. Vice President Madeyln Stovall and President Ratrut said they had discussed the issue and that certain USOs, such as the Trinitonian and the Mirage, cannot be funded below the five-year average they have been funded.

However, President Ratrut said that SGA can recommend to Wells that funding be reduced or ceased. Vice President Stovall initiated a straw poll on SGA funding the Mirage below their five-year average, or to ceasing funding altogether. SGA conducted three straw polls and deliberated on the Mirage’s utility and ways to restructure the organization. In the final straw pull, four senators voted to cease funding the Mirage, while 10 senators voted to reduce their funding below the five-year average. President Ratrut and Vice President Stovall plan to speak to Wells about the results.

GREEK COUNCIL

Greek Council requested $52,970 for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, a $20,760 increase from last year. They requested more money for events, speakers, end-of-semester retreats and for two new positions, alumni chair and athletics chair. Senior Senator Brown questioned the retreats’ importance, and representatives said they wanted to increase the budget to improve coordination for those events. Senator Wartwell asked how Greek Council plans to spend the $10,000 left in their current budget, to which they said they still have to fund their senior send-off event and retreat. However, Greek Council also mentioned they were unable to host many events this year, leaving them with more money left over.

DELIBERATION

Senators immediately voiced confusion with Greek Council’s budget. Junior Senator Darcie Gulick said that they don’t seem to have a plan for their $15,000 speakers line item, and said she was uncomfortable funding the full amount. Assistant Treasurer Denae French said she was frustrated because, during their preliminary meeting, she told the Greek Council that their speaker line item and other parts of their budget were disorganized.

President Ratrut said he believes Greek Council’s budget is aspirational, but they lack a concrete plan. He thinks there are a lot of line items for ideas they don’t know how to execute, and Vice President Stovall requested that senators start cutting specific line items.

Senator Brown said he thinks that the fall and spring events should all be cut, leaving the budget at around $16,000. Senator Wartell agreed to cutting the retreat line item, as they spent only $850 last year and are requesting $5,000 now. Senators deliberated on the specific line items, but reached no conclusion. President Ratrut asked senators to come back to SGA with more concrete line items to cut.