The first Student Government Association meeting of the Spring 2019 semester took place in the Moore Community Room (ASAC 100) on January 30th at 8:07 pm. It was also streamed through the SGA’s Facebook page. The meeting opened with an update to the SGA Executive Board. Nick retired from the position of Financial Controller for personal reasons, and Allison Lanfear has taken over in his place. In the Financial Update, the budget was set at around $26,550.
In Reports and Presentations, the Outing Club updated everyone on the SNO-GO bikes that the SGA funded. All five have been constructed and some even received upgrades. For the time being, the bikes are restricted for use only at Jay Peak and at the Lyndon Outing Club, as they are new machines that require a state license to be used anywhere. Anyone with a Lyndon ID is free to rent these bikes through the Adventure Program. A great opportunity to learn to ride the SNO-GO bikes would be during the Free-Ski Night on February 6th at the Outing Club.
During Discussion & Action Items, the Adventure Program came forth with another funding request. They are looking to fund a Ski & Snowboard trip out west for February break, which would cost each student $250 to attend. The goal of this trip is to grant students an opportunity to travel cross-country, but it also presents a great image-boost and marketing opportunity for the college. It will be open to all students through the Adventure Program; however, students will need to send in an application with a recommendation from one staff/faculty member to be considered for the trip, and the admission will be limited to 8-12 students. The trip is planned for either Utah or Colorado, with the latter being the most likely choice. The total cost for this trip would be $8,000-$11,000, depending on how many students are chosen to go. The SGA voted to give the Adventure Program $8,000 with the intentions that some of the money would be allocated for future use so they don’t have to keep requesting funds from the SGA.
The SGA also voted to fund the free coffee stickers discussed in prior meetings (see some of our earlier reports for a refresher on this) as well as the coffee used in this event. The stickers have a final design made, and will be die-cut with a protected coating so they will withstand several washings. These should only be used on 12-oz mugs, and everyone who gets their free coffee/cocoa needs to go through the register in the Hornet’s Nest so the SGA can keep count on how many mugs are being used.
In Other Business, the SGA is still looking for an Administrative VP, so be sure to talk to them if you’re interested in the position! For the club runners out there, be sure to fill out an Event Planning form before you do any sort of fundraising!
For Club and Committee Updates, they were fairly sparse considering it’s just the beginning of the semester. Nonetheless, there were still some important tidbits to take note of. Lauren announced that the Spring Weekend will take place from April 26th-28th with a carnival theme. She is looking to speak with Sodexo about getting more fun carnival food in place of the standard fare, like corndogs, burgers, fried dough, and pretzels. She is also planning to speak with the Campus Activities Board about doing the Headphone Disco once again, and plan accordingly so it doesn’t interfere with the spring musical. Clubs that are interested in doing events that weekend are free to approach the SGA and request up to $100 in funding.
The next VSCSA (Vermont State College Student Association) meeting will take place on February 8th. Representatives from each college in the VSC system will come together to discuss what’s happening at their schools and work out solutions for each other’s problems. The Peer Leaders reported that 35 students came through the Spring SOAR program, and they will be announcing their student workshops soon. The RAs reported that they are now all certified in CPR, AED, and First Aid. They are also performing suite meetings and accepting work orders, so if you notice a problem in your suite that needs fixing, contact your RA so they can get the order in. Rooms are frozen until February 4th, so nobody can move rooms until after this freeze.
CAB will be doing DIY Zen Gardens during the community block (11:30 am – 1 pm) on Tuesday the 5th in the ATT lobby, and they will also be doing the Free Skate with Pizza on Thursday the 7th. WWLR is still on the air, hosting 27 members with 10 shows this semester. Anyone interested in doing a show should contact them for further details. Model UN has submitted their delegation papers and will be leaving for Harvard on February 14th to attend their conference. The Veteran’s Club is requesting that folks attending the Veteran’s Summit this year register beforehand. This is free to the public. Finally, Ski & Ride has pint glasses and beer cozies on sale if you’re interested. The meeting adjourned at 9:29 pm.
SGA will be hosting their next meeting on Wednesday, February 13th in the Moore Community Room at 8:00 pm. It will also be streamed on Facebook Live on the SGA’s page if you cannot attend the meeting in person. We hope to see you there!