By Heidi Cho
Nation & World Editor
Student Government passed three bills at its meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
Associate Provost for Curriculum and Liberal Learning Christopher “Kit” Murphy kicked off the meeting with a presentation on implementing recommendations from the liberal learning program review.
Murphy emphasized that any changes to come from the review are still hypothetical and will not immediately change the curriculum for current students.
There are drafts to include degree level goals to the curricular structure and make liberal learning classes more helpful in the minds of students. Degree level goals would help students contextualize one of the six liberal learning domains with their major, according to Murphy.
A survey indicated that 53 percent of the College’s students consider liberal learning a hindrance to courses for their major, according to Murphy.
Murphy gave hypothetical and possible situations of degree level learning, such as that a biology major might have a package on gender discrimination in the sciences, or an engineering major may take a course that talks about gender in computer science.
“Everything that we currently have, we’re looking to keep, and then add a few things like leadership and sustainability and teamwork and things like that,” Murphy said.
Two bills were passed that provided more clarification to SG’s constitution.
The first bill included the definition of quorum into the constitution. Previously, the constitution did not define quorum, which in SG requires 75 percent of the number of elected members to be present, as necessary to change the constitution. The second bill changed the attendance policy so that associate SG members will be included in the distribution of points.
Vineeth Amba, a senator of science and sophomore biology major, proposed a bill which allows members to receive program participation points for community involvement in Trenton and Ewing, New Jersey.
The bill will add a section that gives an SG member one point for going to a community event in the local community, with a cap of two points from community events a semester.
Carly Mauro, SG’s executive vice president and a junior mathematics and statistics major, called for a friendly amendment to the bill. Mauro asked that the Alternate Student Trustee be allowed to determine if an event is point worthy, along with the Executive President and Executive Vice President.
The bill was passed with the friendly amendment.
Donations for the upcoming holiday season were discussed.
The remaining shirts from the Homecoming T-Shirt Swap will be donated to the College’s Residence Hall Association to give to families before Thanksgiving, according to Cassie Kriegel, the vice president of Student Service and a junior English and secondary education dual major.
The Here for Home, Always campaign has reached 88 percent of its goal with 13 days left as of Nov. 1, according to Melissa Sandoval, the vice president of community relations and senior Spanish and Secondary Education dual-major.
Albert Martin, the senator of engineering and a sophomore electrical engineering major, recommended auto-flush toilets.
“I just want to walk into a room and have it smell nice for once,” Martin said.
Justine Wilson, a senator of science and a junior biology major, gave a governance report about Community Engaged Learning.
The previously unofficial goals for CEL courses have been officially approved, and current CEL courses will be revised with respect to these goals, according to Wilson.
Director of Student Involvement Dave Conner introduced the interim coordinator for fraternities and sororities, Jessica Schnell.
This is the first official position the College has made to improve interactions with Greek life on campus, according to Conner.
