The Macalester College Student Government (MCSG) met in the Weyerhaeuser Boardroom on Thursday, Jan. 29, to discuss changes to the Student Organizations Committee (SOC) Code, a Financial Affairs Committee (FAC) request and how to support international students during a surge in federal law enforcement and Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence in the Twin Cities.
Before the Legislative Body (LB) began voting on changes to SOC code language and a FAC request, MCSG president Willow Albano ’26 addressed ICE’s violent tactics in Minnesota and the killings of Renée Macklin Good and Alex Pretti by federal law enforcement this January.
“We have the right to grieve, we have the right to fear and we have the right to be angry,” Albano said. “I hope we can all take time at this moment to mourn our neighbors, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, as well as those who have been killed and kidnapped from our communities by ICE in recent weeks.”
At the same time, Albano urged representatives in their personal capacity to engage with the campus community and build broad support networks for themselves and their neighbors. They also called on members to recognize their positionality on campus as members of MCSG.
“We have access to relationships, resources and privileges extended to us as representatives elected by our fellow students,” Albano said. “This is an integral and urgent time for us to listen, take action and lend that helping hand wherever it is needed.”
The LB then moved to vote on updates to the SOC code removing an article that required student organizations to align with institutional values and refine grammar. The motion passed unanimously.
Clinton Smith ’26 spoke on behalf of MacSwing, requesting from FAC to fund food, accommodations and transportation for the club’s annual trip to a Chicago dance convention. Smith stressed the importance of the trip for MacSwing.
“They bring world class instructors and have competitions and it’s a great chance to connect with the broader West Coast swinging community,” Smith said.
The motion passed unanimously. MCSG committees then took the floor to present updates on their work. SOC Chair Liv Peterson ’27 gave a preview of potential charters for esports and “liberal arts students for fashion” organizations.
Communications & Engagement Committee (CEC) Chair Sammi Shelton ’29 discussed an ongoing initiative to raise awareness around Macalester Public Safety’s capacity to escort students to places if they feel unsafe, particularly in the context of the presence of federal agents in St. Paul.
Cabinet updates followed. While not all cabinet liaisons had updates this early in the semester, Dining & Sustainability Liaison Jj Cuneo ’28 and new Residential Life & Infrastructure liaison Molly Friedrichs ’26 gave announcements. Cuneo debuted the MacNav app’s new Extra Eats feature, which alerts users to locations of free food on campus, and Friedrichs introduced herself in her new role.
A student representative, who requested to remain unnamed due to safety concerns surrounding the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota, then took the podium. They began with a reminder of the character of Macalester’s international student population.
“I am representing people who have traveled thousands of kilometers to be here, people who are studying with you in their third and fourth language and still making the dean’s list,” the representative said. “International students are known to be resilient people. We’re known to be people who are able to go through really, really difficult times and still achieve exceedingly.”
Many international students come to Macalester with “the hope of a better future … typically, getting a fine job, earning a good amount of money [and] being able to send some money back home,” the representative said.
However, according to the representative, international students are currently struggling to find jobs because many employers see them as a liability. The representative’s goal for the semester is to create a fund through which Macalester would compensate international students for their internships.
The representative also called participants to consider how they talk about obstacles international students face due to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. They suggested refraining from rehashing the news cycle.
“I want to urge and encourage each and every single one of us here to actually use our words to give hope and to give life,” the representative said.
The meeting adjourned early, allowing MCSG members time to share the specific needs being articulated within their class year and discuss possible ways MCSG can support students, including connecting seniors to job opportunities and renting vans to help juniors do their personal shopping safely.
