Scott Logush
Sports Editor
I found a better name for this series! This week’s Merrimack College Student Government Association meeting occurred on Valentine’s Day. This week we went over campus events, the Water Bottle Initiative, and a new organization presented to the Senate for approval! Let’s get into the weekly rundown.
The meeting began with roll call and quorum was met, and last week’s minutes were approved.
President’s Report: Nicholas Barber (Class of 2023)
The report began with Barber wishing the Senate a Happy Valentine’s Day. Noelle Mattiace gave a statement of intent to become a Class of 2023 Senator and was approved. There is now only one open seat in SGA and it is a Class of 2023 or 2024 seat.
The Single-Use Water Bottle Ban proposal was discussed with Becky Jimenez on 2/14/23. There are still sign-up spots available for the SGA blood drive that will take place March 27th, 2023 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, the link to choose a time can be found in the SGA’s Instagram linktree.
SGA committee chairs are each required to do one event this semester and should make sure they are planning accordingly.
Vice President’s Report: Abigail White (Class of 2023)
The Model United Nations and Public Policy Club presented to the Senate for SGA approval and recognition. They were approved and are now an official SGA-recognized organization.
Secretary’s Report: Maxwell Beland (Class of 2024)
Nothing new to report.
Treasurer’s Report: Kiley Martel (Class of 2023)
Banquet request forms are due by 5:00 pm on Friday, February 17, 2023. SGA Budget Pullbacks will occur on March 16, 2023, and April 16, 2023. Finally, Symposium training is required for clubs to receive their budgets from SGA.
Parliamentarian’s Report: Anthony Gentile (Class of 2024)
Nothing new to report.
Publicist’s Report: Evan Jones (Class of 2023)
Nothing new to report.
Advisor’s Report: Peter Rojas
Pizza with the President will be on February 28, 2023.
Graduate Fellow Report: Connor Nickerson
Nothing new to report.
Academic Affairs Committee Report: Nicholas Stawczyk (Class of 2026)
Nothing new to report.
Campus Infrastructure Committee Report: John Liddy (Class of 2023)
Automatic doors will be installed in Monica’s Kitchen along with an air curtain. Potholes and puddles will be fixed around campus highlighted by issues outside of the Unity House, Crowe Hall, and Cascia Hall. White barriers adjacent to The Hub may be put back up to prevent cars from driving past the Townhouses and South Residential Village, more permanent solutions are being looked into.
Career Affairs Committee Report: Lorraine Rodriguez (Class of 2024)
Nothing new to report.
Dining Affairs Committee Report: Amanda Lee (Class of 2023)
Nut-free zone signs will be more clearly placed around Sparky’s to remind students not to bring nut products into the facility. McQuade’s Cafe will have increased advertising regarding their hours of operation. Students should be aware that if they swipe into Sparky’s after 3:15 pm, the salad bar may be the only option available and no hot foods will be available as the staff prepares to close.
Diversity Affairs Committee Report: Freddy Monroy (Class of 2023)
On Thursday, February 16, 2023, there will be an Afro-Latino Night in the Hub from 5:00 to 6:00 pm, in partnership with ALMA and BSA. Any SGA Senator who attends this event will receive a tabling credit.
Environmental Affairs Committee Report: Liv Orlowska (Class of 2023)
Students should reach out to Liv if they have any ideas for places where recycling bins should be placed around campus. Recycling bins have been added in 510 and 530, and the Committee is looking to add more outside Merrimack College’s Post Office.
Information Technology Committee Report: Brianna Leccese (Class of 2025)
Nothing new to report.
Residence Life Committee Report: Hannah Loan (Class of 2024)
There have been multiple incidents of noise after quiet hours that will be addressed throughout residence halls. All issues that happen in Royal Crest are addressed with Merrimack College and are all looked into. The administration looks into how busy the weekend will be to see where security is needed on campus. The Residence Life Committee is hoping to hear more about a new dorm building, and a potential Royal Crest Development at Pizza with the President in a few weeks. RA selections will be coming out in the coming weeks. Resident Life is preparing for housing intentions and more information will be coming out in the early weeks of March. They would like you to reach out if you have any concerns or potential ideas for programs within your residence halls.
Unfinished Business
There was no unfinished business.
New Business
Single-Use Water Bottle Ban
Nicholas Barber announced that there will be an increased social media push for SGA’s Single-Use Water Bottle Ban proposal, and he encouraged Senators to reshare these and to continue advocating for such change.
Mainstreet Polling
Nicholas Stawczyk asked when Mainstreet Polling would occur this semester, Barber said that it would take place later in March.
Pizza with the President
Liv Orlowska asked about a potential tabling opportunity for Senators who bring a guest to Pizza with the President. Barber said this will be considered.
Women’s Workout Sessions
Freddy Moroy opened a discussion about a women’s workout session at the fitness and recreation center. Emma Gorski (Class of 2023) expressed that there would be interest in a specialty women’s dance class. Casey Stevenson (Class of 2024) inquired about the class being weekly as opposed to daily to help with time conflicts. Orlowska expressed interest in kickboxing or self-defense classes. Leccese expressed concerns about finding a coach for the class, Monroy explained that Senator Izzy Picanto (Class of 2025) is a coach who could teach the class. Lauren Dumont (Class of 2025) expressed interest in a yoga class. Nicholas Barber (2023) asked about potentially bringing in MCPD’s self-defense class as a solution to the goal without timing conflicts with the student fitness center. Peter Rojas said that it is a strong possibility. Skylar DiMartino (Class of 2024) expressed interest in a self-defense class and that past work has been done with MCPD. Mariia Dihavelia (Class of 2026) expressed interest in a women’s weightlifting class. Frankie Maiuri (Class of 2025) expressed interest in having several classes throughout the week for different interests with the idea that one class could be high energy and another be more relaxed like yoga. Gabby Zola (Class of 2026) expressed interest in an after-hours event with only people enrolled in the class to ease concerns about using the weights when the fitness center is busy.
Hamel Health
A new discussion opened on Hamel Health’s lack of appointment availability. Dumont expressed that Hamel Health was struggling to meet appointment needs and left many members of the student body without the help they should have. Elric Ford (Class of 2026) expressed that Hamel Health is an essential service for the campus and is worth expanding. Gorski expressed that there are significant wait times and more staff could be beneficial if this is what is preventing them from seeing those who need them. Zola expressed that the staff has directed students elsewhere due to a lack of availability to see them. Nathan Persampieri (Class of 2024) expressed concerns about students having to book appointments when they have potentially time-sensitive issues that need to be addressed. Orlowska expressed that there could be a staffing issue that needs to be addressed. Stawczyk proposed the idea of reaching out to Hamel Health services to get a better idea of why wait times are so long and about getting statistics on common times and the number of students who seek Hamel Health’s services. Tom Geraci (Class of 2025) voiced concern that the office was located off campus and that it could be a far walk for some students. Barber clarified that the move was due to privacy concerns of students and that if anyone were to feel worried about the walk they can contact MCPD’s non-emergency line for assistance. Dumont inquired about the possibility of nursing majors working at Hamel Health. Barber clarified that there is a requirement for an accredited program at the school for nurses to work there. Olivia Galvin (Class of 2026) expressed that the rule may have changed since Covid. Mark Metevier confirmed Barber’s point and explained that there could be potential HIPAA concerns. Drew Dollinger (Class of 2025) inquired if there was a specific list of services available on the Merrimack Website. Orlawska expressed that such a list does exist and is available online, this was also confirmed by Kiley Martel (Class of 2023). Zola proposed the idea of doing an anonymous survey to gauge student opinions on Ham Health’s services.
510 & 530 Shuttle Concerns
Brayden Waterman (Class of 2024) and Orlowska expressed concerns about the 510-530 Warrior Shuttle not following its schedule and indicated that it has been poor recently. Barber told the Senate that if any student experiences issues with any of the shuttles they should contact parking@merrimack.edu or the Warrior One Stop so the college becomes aware of such problems.
SGA Executive Board Elections
Persampieri asked when the SGA Executive Board election process would begin. Barber explained that the process would begin with nominations occurring after Spring Break and explained the election process to the Senate.
Announcements
There were no new announcements.
Max Beland took roll call and the meeting was adjourned until Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
