The third Student Government Association meeting of the Spring Semester took place on March 6th at 8:00pm in the Moore Community Room (ASAC 100). As usual, it was streamed live on the SGA’s Facebook page, so it can be found there if you would like to view it.
As a fair bit of warning, the Student Body Comments will be discussing the Title IX Policy regarding sexual assault. If this subject makes you uncomfortable, I’d advise that you skip to the fourth paragraph.
The main subject of the Student Body Comments, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, was a letter drafted by an anonymous student on campus. To paraphrase the letter’s contents, the author discusses how they’ve heard multiple accounts from women on campus being sexually assaulted and harassed by their peers. These cases have been reported to RAs, Public Safety, and other authority figures to reportedly unsatisfying results. The author said that either nothing was done to address the problems, or the harassers were merely assigned to community service. The victims feel as though the system is letting them down and that they’re sick of living in fear. The Interim Director of Public Safety, Brian Michaud, responded to the letter by going over the typical process for addressing Title IX Policy violations. He further explained that both parties on either side have rights, so naturally any solution isn’t guaranteed to make them all happy. Michaud encouraged that students head to resolve.vsc.edu to learn more about the Title IX Policy and the steps that go into addressing violations. Finally, if you ever see or experience harassment or sexual assault, do not hesitate to go to Public Safety to report it. And for those feeling unsafe walking on campus, Public Safety also offers escort services, so you don’t have to walk alone.
Moving on to lighter subject matter, there were a couple of important Reports and Presentations. First up was Katy Ebner and the group that joined her on the Colorado skiing trip over winter break. They came to thank the SGA for providing the funding needed for them to take their trip and shared some photos and stories from Colorado. These can be viewed on the livestream. Katy also took the time to promote the West Virginia trip that will be taking place over April Break. This trip will include both Lyndon and Johnson’s campuses, though each will mostly focus on separate activities. Lyndon will be rock climbing and biking, while Johnson will be caving, and there will be opportunities for students on each campus to switch things up and try each other’s activities. It will be another fun opportunity to unite both campuses and try out some unique activities. Applications are available now and will cost $250 to attend.
The Director of the Physical Plant, Mike Stevens, came up next to answer some questions about jobs that need to be done on campus. One subject brought up was the lack of cleanup done in the parking lots. Stevens explained that there was a lot of bad timing weather-wise that interfered with their planned clean-outs. For example, the snowstorm that capped off winter break stopped them from being able to clean out the parking lots before the students started coming back to campus. Another subject that came up, addressed during the last meeting, was the oil leakage all over the walkways on campus. Stevens answered that the wear and tear on their machines caused them to leak, and that fixing one usually resulted in another breaking shortly after. He also touched on the two giant frost heaves on campus; the one by the gazebo in front of Vail, and the one on the road between the Physical Plant and Stonehenge parking lot. While he hasn’t checked out the latter one for himself, he will get around to it, and judging from the student body’s description of how harsh it is, concluded that it may not be a frost heave. Frost heaves tend to be pavement rising, while this “heave” is sunken down. Regardless of what it is, both cannot be fixed for a while, since the silty material in the ground could only make the problem worse. So, for now, be careful around these heaves, especially if you are driving over the latter one. Stevens advises that drivers should avoid it by driving carefully through the Stonehenge lot.
In Discussion and Action Items, the general fund was stated to be at around $16,550. WWLR also came forward with a funding request. They asked for $5,000 to go toward equipment, engineering, bills, and club events. Primarily, these upgrades would be to appease the standards of the FCC. With a majority vote, the motion was passed to give them the full $5,000, bringing the general fund down to $11,550.
Under Club and Committee Updates, Lauren shared some of the plans she has drafted so far for Spring Day. She said that some of the giveaways that are planned so far include sunglasses, bracelets, and color-changing plastic cups, but of course there could be more planned later. Clubs can still request $100 to put together a table for the Involvement Fair, so go talk to Lauren if your club is interested.
Peer Leader and RA applications are due on the 15th, so there is still time to pick up an application if you are interested. If you have any questions about either of these, you can visit the Admissions Office or contact Trevor Utton respectively. On the subject of RAs, housing applications for next year should become available within this upcoming week. The early deadline for deposits will be March 29th and making this deadline will enter you in a giveaway. The regular deadline will be April 14th. CAB will be holding the Commencement Fair on Tuesday during the community block, and Casino Night at Johnson will be on Friday. The 19th will have Stress Relief and Relaxation, and finally, March 30th will be the New York City bus trip. Admissions will be hosting a huge Accepted Students Day on the 16th, and any club that wants a table there should contact Anthony Carpino as soon as possible. The Twilight Players are getting fundraising ready, and Murder Mystery will premiere Friday at Catamount Arts at 6:30pm. Admission will be $10. The Mystery of Edwin Drood will premiere during Spring Weekend. Finally, Acapella is working on expanding their setlist for Spring Day.
The meeting ended at 9:29pm. Our next meeting will be on March 20th, same time and same place. If you can’t make the meeting in person, be sure to tune in to the livestream on the SGA’s Facebook page. We hope to see you there!