Senate Beat: August 31st

The first public Senate meeting of the year was held in the Student Union at 9 A.M. sharp on Wednesday morning. Despite the early start — Assistant Treasurer Nina Gopaldas (‘24) explained it was the only way to accommodate the senators’ class schedules this year and couldn’t be helped — the Senate made quick work of the week’s priorities. Senators voted unanimously to approve a request from Chinese House for $258 to fund their Mid-Autumn Festival, and Senator Lennox Reeder (‘25) provided an update on their committee’s work to improve WiFi coverage on campus.

Student Body President Safi Zenger (‘24) began by sharing an update on her meeting with the office of Student Life to discuss what can be done to support students in the wake of recent events on campus, stating her hope that college administration will take meaningful steps toward that end in the near future. President Zenger also expressed gratitude to Karnell McConnell-Black, Vice President for Student Life, for making their discussion a priority, saying that she had rarely seen a meeting scheduled so quickly before.

During committee updates, Senator Reeder explained their committee’s work to improve campus connectivity, which is currently focused on analyzing the results of a study habits survey distributed to students last year. Based on those results, their committee will then make a recommendation on how to extend WiFi coverage and connectivity speed to the areas of campus where it is most needed.

Also during committee updates, Student Body Head Treasurer Sean Brown (‘24) presented a request from the Chinese Language House for $258 in funding to support their Mid-Autumn Festival, which will be held on Friday, September 9th, from 6-8 PM on the quad. After a motion to support, the Senate voted unanimously to approve the request in full, concluding this week’s Senate meeting.