By Raeanne Raccagno
Copy Editor
Inclusive Excellence presented to Student Government before the organization discussed and passed new bills and started preparations for the upcoming election at the general body meeting on Feb. 19.
Jordan Shyi, director of intercultural affairs, talked to the students involved in SG about how to implement the concepts of inclusion and belonging in their daily lives.
“Typically what we have seen is that when we implement certain policies, certain practices, it tends to benefit a whole body,” Shyi said. “The motivation behind that is we want there to be more access for everyone. We don't want there to be obstacles to anyone's success.”
Shyi explained how identity does not just come down to race and gender, but a whole slew of factors, such as where you’re from and where you went to school. He mentioned how it can be hard to justify the work done in high school if your alma mater does not have good accreditation.
He gave an example of the different number of AP courses offered at high schools and the prerequisites for taking them.
“I say this because again, when we talk about this idea of inclusion, we talk about this idea of access, the goal is for everyone to thrive,” Shyi said. “But if there is something systematically holding people back, that's not giving them access…How do we change that?”
The director of intercultural affairs illustrated how this idea applies to various environments and not just schools. He urged the general body to imagine what it would be like to not be themselves and how it can help them better understand other people’s identities and situations.
After Shyi’s presentation, the general body passed their first spring bill, B-S2025-01, in old business which is ‘to eliminate the apportionment related to the ‘Senators-At-Large’ cohort.” The bill would clarify the total number of seats in the respective class council cohort and change the language to match their current practices.
The bill was presented by Asid Khadam, head senator of the school of engineering, who first introduced the bill during the Feb. 12 general body meeting during new business.
Khadam also introduced another bill in new business, B-S2025-03, which would be “to establish a method for appointing a head delegate for a large delegate.” The bill would simplify the selection process for when a delegate cohort exceeds seven members.
Brooke Russo, a general body delegate, introduced a bill in new business, B-S2025-02, which would be “to expand the voting process for delegates to vote on resolutions, initiatives, commendations, and potential student organizations.” Currently, delegates are only allowed to vote on bills.
Russo proposed that delegates who attend two consecutive general body meetings will be allowed to vote on resolutions, initiatives, commendations and PSOs.
The general body will vote on whether or not to pass the two bills at the next general body meeting on Feb. 26 during old business.
Earlier in the meeting, Kevin Janas, alternate student trustee, broke down important dates and the process for the upcoming election on April 29.
Students interested in running must attend one information session, happening on April 7 at 8:30 p.m. on Zoom; April 8 at 4:30 p.m. in the Brower Student Center room 225E; April 9 at 11 a.m. on Zoom; or April 10 at 5 p.m. in BSC room 224. Those running also have to attend a mandatory general body meeting on April 16 from 3-5 p.m. in BSC room 225E.
Election packets are due by April 16, and students can run for any two positions but can only fill one. Campaigning starts April 22 at 8 a.m. and has a $50 budget, all receipts should be sent to janask1@tcnj.edu.
During governance reports, Sean Duigon, chief of staff, announced the Library Building and Safety Committee is creating a guide for incident reports and a webpage for identifying accessibility issues regarding the library.
Jackie Anderson, vice president for academic affairs, discussed final recommendations that were approved during the Steering Committee meeting for a minor in Chinese Studies, an undergraduate certificate in computer science education and a graduate certificate in inclusive early childhood and elementary education.
Aria Chalileh, vice president for governmental affairs, also announced the last day for clubs applying to become a recognized student organization will be March 21.
