Mike Sherr
Staff writer
At their weekly meeting on April 21, Student Government (SG) voted to recognize four organizations and heard reports from students on committees to initiate the conclusion of the academic year. The Student Finance Board (SFB) met on the same day and gave an update on their elections.
Aagna Patel, a senior finance major and executive director of SFB, reported to members that their e-board election will continue to be postponed as she is negotiating the future of their stipends with Sean Stallings, the Vice President for Student Affairs.
A few hours later, SG’s first order of business was to hear a recommendation from the Governmental Affairs Committee to allow four student organizations to become recognized by the College. Once an organization is recognized, they can start sponsoring events and apply to SFB for funding.
Mann Mukti, Eta Kappa Nu, The Young Democratic Socialists of America and The Hidden Opponent all attended the weekly General Body meeting to answer any questions students have about the organizations.
Mann Mukti is an organization dedicated to advocating for mental health issues specifically for the South Asian community.
While students did not have any questions for the organization, the president of the organization, Hafsah Shaik, a sophomore psychology major, is also a member of SG. She currently holds the position of senator of humanities and social sciences and was recently elected vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Eta Kappa Nu is an electrical and computer engineering honor society that has high standards to become a member. The organization requires that a student must be in the top third of the senior class or the top quarter of the junior class in terms of GPA.
When debating about this organization, Elizabeth Wood, a sophomore political science major, believed that this was a high standard for an organization for majors that do not represent a large portion of the student body. Wood told SG that she had “concerns about sustainability,” and that “electrical and computer engineering are not the most popular majors … the club may die out over time.”
The Young Democratic Socialists of America is a political organization that is planning on helping with campaigns and networking for students. The group already has a large amount of student interest and is going to focus on holding events to spread awareness of their organization.
The Hidden Opponent is a group that attempts to get rid of the stigma around mental health in sports. Lauren Cammarata, a junior biomedical engineering major, would be the president of the organization and is also currently a campus captain in the national organization. She told SG that the organization will hold panels and discussions that would be open to all students that are suffering from or care about mental illness.
After a short debate, the applications were voted on and all four organizations became recognized by the College.
