Student Government, Inc., held their most recent general assembly meeting this past Monday, Nov. 13 in the D’Angelo Center. Topics discussed included alumni relations, new sustainability goals and stipends for committee chairs.
The meeting began with a presentation by Carolina Brandão Hojaij, assistant director for young alumni and student engagement from the Office of Alumni Relations.
She introduced the new G.O.L.D. (Graduates of the Last Decade) program for recent St. John’s alumni.
The aim of the G.O.L.D. program is to introduce new graduates to other alumni who have just begun their own careers through professional networking and fundraising events.
Hojaij also announced plans for G.O.L.D. to collaborate with SGI on a new senior scholarship, to begin in 2018. Money for this new scholarship will be raised through G.O.L.D fundraising events and through sales of a new discount card to be used at participating businesses near the Queens campus.
The Budget Committee announced plans for this new discount card at the meeting, which will allow students to receive discounts at shops and restaurants near St. John’s. A full list of participating businesses will soon be available on the SGI website. The committee is also working towards partnering with businesses near the Manhattan campus to set up a discount program there.
SGI Treasurer Teresa Ehiogu provided a breakdown of all SGI spending over the past two weeks. The most recent funds have been allocated to the Student Affairs and School Spirit Committees to host events.
Ehiogu also introduced a question of how the $250 stipends will be awarded to committee chairs at the end of the school year.
There was a following debate on whether to contribute the money to the chair’s tuition bill or to give it to them as a check. A final decision on this matter has not yet been made.
Junior Senator Atem Tazi introduced an idea for a “Battle of the Classes” spirit week to take place during the spring semester to increase school spirit on campus. The week would consist of competitions between each grade level and culminate in a pep rally on the last day.
The meeting ended with an update from the new Sustainability Committee. They announced plans to replace single-use plastic silverware at SGI-sponsored events with biodegradable products in an effort to reduce waste on campus.
Although biodegradable products would be more expensive than their plastic counterparts, the committee provided a breakdown of the costs involved, which amounted to a price increase of approximately $211.
SGI’s next general assembly meeting will take place on Monday, Nov. 27, in DAC room 128 at 5 p.m.
