Student Government: Sept. 9 weekly meeting notes

On Sept. 9, Student Government held its second virtual meeting, and it featured two club proposals and discussions on how each of the classes will proceed with their fundraising and socials this semester.

First on the agenda was a presentation from Courtney Dolan, president of the Stress Management Through Art Therapy Club. She is seeking to receive recognition of the club on campus. The club’s mission is to establish a safe place for those with any form of artistic ability and provide them with a creative outlet to help alleviate stress. It will teach about the advantages of art and how it can have a positive impact.

If approved, some events the club plans to host include paint, craft and pottery nights. They have taken precautions to ensure that their activities follow COVID-19 guidelines, as they will pre-package and sanitize crafting and art tools, as well as space all participants 6 feet apart. For community service, they will create and donate masks to whoever may need them and do crafts at the YMCA.

The Friends of Panama Club is looking to gain club recognition as well. President Jesus Rios Serrano explained how they want to share Panama’s culture by engaging with the campus and local community, as it will allow people from different backgrounds to communicate and get to know each other.

Some of their plans for the fall semester are to host a Spanish Conversational Partnership, a trivia day and a bingo night. Most likely, each event will be held virtually. Further, Serrano wants to focus on finding volunteering opportunities. In spring 2021, they would like to sing karaoke, coordinate soccer and volleyball games and host Trenzas Day, which would provide students with the opportunity to get braids done by Panamanian hands.

Next week, Student Government will vote to approve both the Stress Management Through Art Therapy Club and the Friends of Panama Club.

Moving forward, Vice President Brooke Mazzotta requested $6,000 for the Club Hub to cover the costs of ordering crafting supplies and providing funding for its work-study positions. She was allocated this amount in a motion of 81 percent in favor and 19 percent abstaining.

Other business included the class reports. The sophomore class would like to sell lanyards and are brainstorming social ideas to host through Zoom. The juniors are planning to distribute mask extenders to students, while the seniors will be opening a virtual store.

The Commuter Council, Programming Board and RHC are finalizing plans for giveaways. The Multicultural Student Coalition has two events coming up in September: The Welcome to Our Neighborhood Social and the Latin Cafe. The first event was planned for Sept. 15 but has been postponed. The Latin Cafe will be hosted on Sept. 23.

Finally, within the next few weeks, Student Government will be conducting elections for the first-year class.