Scott Logush
Sports Editor
Every Tuesday the Merrimack College Student Government Association meets at 4:30 pm EST in The Hub. Meetings are available for anyone in Merrimack College to attend, and the minutes should be widely available for people to read via The Warrior Network but, according to the current Merrimack SGA Parliamentarian they have not been published since 2020, but upon further investigation, it was found that the last set of meeting minutes was published for the April 12th, 2022 meeting. As a result of this, I’m going to provide a recap of each Tuesday’s meeting starting with the one from February 7th, 2023.
The President’s Report from Nicholas Barber, Class of 2023, began with the announcement that the SGA Water Bottle proposal has officially been submitted to administration, the initiative is to remove single-use plastic water bottles and replace them with available water fountains to refill reusable water bottles.
Two new senators presented their statements of intent and were approved as Merrimack SGA Senators in Class of 2023 Senator Adam Roczniak and Class of 2026 Senator Kelsey True, congratulations!
The Vice President’s Report from Abigail White, Class of 2023, involved a reminder about the SGA Relay For Life Team and about SGA’s Valentine’s Day event that will be held next Tuesday.
The Secretary’s Report from Maxwell Beland, Class of 2024, reminded senators about tabling opportunities, including the SGA Blood Drive, Admitted Students Day, and attending Unity in Diversity Days. It also included information about how to claim the tabling credits. It ended with a reminder about the SGA Retreat which will take place on Saturday, February 25th, and is required for all Senators unless a reasonable reason for missing is provided.
The Treasurer’s Report from Kiley Martel, Class of 2023, began with the reminder that any club that did not have all of their Executive Members (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) attend symposium training will not receive their budget until that requirement is met. All clubs that wish to make purchases must make them in person by visiting Maddie Smith during her open office hours from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on Tuesdays and 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Wednesdays. If those times do not work the organization’s OSI point person may go to Maddie to make the purchase.
The Publicist’s Report from Evan Jones, Class of 2023, announced that Senator takeover slots for the 2023 Spring semester are now full.
There was nothing new to report from the Parliamentarian’s Report (Anthony Gentile, Class of 2024), the Advisor’s report (Peter Rojas), or the Graduate Fellow’s report (Connor Nickerson).
Then the committee chairs began giving their reports, starting with Academic Affairs and Nicholas Stawczyk, Class of 2026. It began with the news that their Point Person, Diane Shaw, will be getting surgery and will be out for the next two weeks. Their meeting schedule will be unaffected. Due to time constraints, the committee’s current focus will be on course registration concerns and the committee is hoping to team up with the IT committee on this initiative. A discussion was opened regarding course registration concerns and issues. The consensus was that there was difficulty with the site to varying degrees. Some people needed to go and register in person due to various website crashes, lack of communication between faculties and the Registrar’s office, and students not being able to register for courses despite meeting the prerequisites for the class.
Next was Campus Infrastructure from John Liddy, Class of 2023, and the report was largely centered around the Student Union. TVs and outdoor heating will be added to Monica’s Kitchen, the golf simulator walls will be padded to prevent future holes in the future. Bowling lanes have been out of order due to the staff still learning how to maintain the new system. The Collegiate Church of Christ the Teacher will be having an organ installed for the remainder of February, additional woodwork will be added to the interior of the church, and the stained glass windows will be backlit. McQuade Library has new furniture on the first and second floors, additional conduits will be installed for charging. The O’Brien Center will be opening on the second floor of the Library this spring.
Career Affairs was next on the agenda from Loraine Rodriquez, Class of 2024. The Career Fair will be on March 15 from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm. Students can register on Handshake and view the full list of employers attending, there are approximately 86 employers coming to the event.
Dining Affairs committee updates from Amanda Lee, Class of 2023, were next. The committee received samples of ice cream sandwiches and vegan cookies that may be sold in either the Den or the MackMart in the future. The daily menu contains meal swipe options for Monica’s Kitchen that will end at 8:00 pm. Students can now tap into Sparkys, but the new system may still be finicky. The Senate was asked how many of them would purchase chocolate-covered strawberries in the Den, and many members expressed interest.
Diversity Affairs from Freddy Monroy, Class of 2023, was next, and the unity in diversity days were promoted for the week and instructions about how to receive a tabling credit for attendance were given. The committee has not yet received word from facilities about getting international flags hung around campus. Two events are in the works, one being an open mic night and the other being International Dining Events for the month of March.
The Environmental Affairs committee had nothing new to report from Liv Orlowska, Class of 2023.
The Information Technology (IT) Committee had a few updates from Brianna Leccese, Class of 2025. Laundry View is in the process of being updated, Library printers now have QR codes with instructions to make printing easier. Microsoft has updated its two-factor authentication requirements. Students who have not picked up their new IPads this year are still able to do so at the IT desk.
The Residence Life committee had nothing new to report from Hannah Loan, Class of 2024.
Unfinished Business only contained a vote on the Code of Ethics amendment that was proposed during the January 31st, 2023 meeting. The amendment passed.
Only one topic came up in new business. Class of 2026 Senator Nicholas Stawczyk expressed concerns about the use of the Collegiate Church of Christ the Teacher for a dance and other non-Catholic purposes and moved to open a discussion on the topic. The Senate voted against opening a discussion on the topic and picking up the notion.
There was only one announcement from Class of 2024 Senator Gabby Heroux that the SEND trip tabling would be taking place over the coming week.
Secretary Maxwell Beland, Class of 2024, took roll call and the meeting was adjourned until Tuesday, February 14th, 2023.
