On Thursday, Feb. 5, Macalester College Student Government (MCSG) held its weekly Legislative Body (LB) meeting in the Weyerhaeuser Boardroom. The LB was visited by a Public Safety representative who spoke about the new campus dog and chartered two student organizations: Esports at Macalester (Mac Esports) and Limerence Studio for Fashion.
Jovian Pham ’26 gave brief remarks before the LB on behalf of Mac Esports, detailing the history of Macalester’s esports community and its current status on campus.
“Around 2020, Macalester Esports was founded as a substitute contingency for in person athletics during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Pham said. “By [2023], we did not have sufficient players to form teams for singular games and we also did not qualify for … the National Association of College Esports.”
“Because of those reasons, and also because [of] every member’s diverse games of choice in esports, we figured it was in our best interest to [become] a student organization,” Pham continued.
The motion to charter Mac Esports passed unanimously.
Public Safety Manager Connor Christenson then came before the LB with Torii, Macalester Public Safety’s dog, to field questions from MCSG. Christenson began by outlining Torii’s role on campus.
“He does not [have] any sort of responsibilities as far as public safety goes,” Christenson said. “He’s just solely here to put smiles on faces [and to] act as a bridge between not just facilities, but specifically Public Safety and the entire community on campus.”
Although Christenson envisions Torii becoming a fixture for students, faculty and staff on campus, he noted that Torii is not a trained service animal.
“We haven’t really deployed him into a therapy or emotional support [role],” Christenson said. “He does have a certification for the American Kennel Club called the Canine Good Citizen … [which] measures his obedience, his behavior, his temperament, as well as my ability to handle him in different settings.”
Christenson noted that the idea of having a dog associated with campus came from collaboration with University of Minnesota Morris Public Safety, which, as a law enforcement agency, employs K-9 units in support roles.
“All the things that they had to say that were separate from the law enforcement side were like, ‘yes, this would be perfect,’” Christenson said. “They talked about [Public Safety dogs] attending admissions events, which we’ve done a bunch of, [and] they talked about going to resource fairs, which we’ve [also] done.”
Christenson then fielded a question on Public Safety’s response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) near Macalester. Christenson emphasized Public Safety’s collaboration with other departments on campus and the department’s non-law enforcement role.
“I encourage everybody to take advantage of the escort service we [have], given what’s been going on in the Twin Cities the past couple months,” Christenson said. “We’ve definitely opened up and broadened our ability to do that.”
The escort service was expanded from a one-mile to a 1.5-mile radius service and will now be available at times when only one officer is on duty, Christenson noted. Christenson also detailed the broad efforts to restrict access to buildings on campus and that Public Safety has been trained to respond to a potential ICE presence on campus.
“I’m here to preach that our college protocol is [that] if anybody, whether it’s staff, student [or] faculty sees federal agents on campus, call us immediately,” Christenson said.
Responding to a further question about Public Safety’s protocol for federal law enforcement presence on campus, Christenson detailed the specifics of what Macalester’s in-the-moment response would look like. Students interested in learning more about the specific plan can reach out to MCSG, Public Safety or the Senior Leadership Team.
Christenson also noted that college representatives, including the Registrar, the Director of Human Resources and Macalester’s legal counsel, would become involved as quickly as possible in the response.
The presentation closed with Christenson’s response detailing Public Safety’s current institutional safety assessment process, which is led by former Champlin Police Department Officer Bob Penney. While the full assessment likely won’t be public, Christenson noted that the recommendations will prioritize keeping campus safe during emergencies.
“They’re tough conversations, but they’re conversations that are really important and could save lives,” Christenson said.
The LB then moved into a discussion of Limerence Studio for Fashion, a student organization focused on fashion and cosmetics. Estella Li ’29, the organization’s president, detailed what Limerence Studio for Fashion hoped to achieve on campus.
“We want to help people get used to their appearance and accept themselves and find themselves through pursuing beauty such as styling and makeup,” Li said. “We are open to all genders and all [in]coming members to join.”
The motion to charter Limerence Studio for Fashion passed by a vote of 24-1.
MCSG proceeded into discussion of the Filipino Association at Mac (FAM)’s request of $4,813 for the Battle of the Bamboo dance showcase in Chicago. Financial Affairs Committee (FAC) Chair David Christenfeld ’27 noted that the amount was reduced to $4,713 following FAC review of the request.
“We removed the trip snacks at the end [of the request] because we wanted some more information about what they would be buying [and] where they’d be buying it from,” Christenfeld said. “We’re expecting possibly another request coming for that but smaller.”
The vote to approve $4,713 for FAM passed by a vote of 24-0 with one abstention.
Student Organizations Committee (SOC) Chair and current Peacemaking Grant Fundraising Ad Hoc Committee (PGFAHC) Chair Liv Peterson ’27 then moved the discussion to the appointment of First Year Class Representative Julian Ricco ’29 for PGFAHC chair.
The motion to appoint Ricco as PGFAHC chair passed by a vote of 24-0 with one abstention.
MCSG President Willow Albano ’26 then presented on the central themes that MCSG hoped to prioritize going forward and would discuss at their retreat the following weekend. The central themes that emerged were public safety discussions, mutual aid efforts and keeping the campus involved in anti-ICE efforts.
The LB then moved into cabinet updates. LB member Laurice Jimu ’27 spoke about efforts on campus to enforce tobacco use restrictions, inviting Christenson to provide more information on college policies.
“It’s a tobacco free campus [and] we receive … federal funding for enforcing [that],” Christenson said.
Christenson also took a question on Macalester’s relationship with on-campus alcohol.
“If you’re in a dorm room and you’re 21, you can drink in your room,” Christenson said. “The caveat is, if you have somebody that’s under 21 with you and you’re drinking, they can’t be there.”
“If a public safety officer shows up [when] you’re drinking … and you have somebody that’s under 21 in your room, they’re gonna shut [you] down,” Christenson continued. “They’ll probably take your alcohol, even if you’re 21 and pour it down the sink. It’s really sad.”
Athletics and Recreation Liaison Ash Granda-Bondurant ’27 provided an update on the Leonard Center’s hours for the beginning of the semester.
“Effective January 26 and until March 13, the fitness center is open Monday through Thursday, until midnight,” Granda Bondurant said.
Dining and Sustainability Liaison Jj Cuneo ’28 shared that they were working on minor improvements to MacNav, and that they are hoping to have the Grille’s quesadillas on meal swipe one day per week.
Cabinet Chair Ainsley Meyer ’26, filling in for Institutional Equity Liaison Pardis Roham ’28, detailed the college’s efforts to accommodate students who cannot currently attend class in person with virtual options.
“The recommendation there is for individuals and for people, for students, to reach out to their professors and to ask, even if it’s not advertised, if online options are available,” Meyer said.
MCSG then heard updates from committee chairs.
Academic Affairs Committee Chair Samantha Schafer ’26 detailed efforts to improve J-Term programs in collaboration with Dean of the Faculty Tom Halverson, and rementioning the grant that MCSG gives students for the Graduate School Admissions Test (GSAT).
Communications and Engagement Committee Chair Sammi Shelton ’29 spoke about the promotion efforts for the annual student survey, Budget Bonanza and the GSAT grant.
Christenfeld explained that the FAC approved seven requests but denied one effectively equivalent to another approved request. He also noted that mandatory organizational budget workshops had begun in the leadup to Budget Bonanza.
Sophomore Class Representative Xavier Honer ’28, speaking on behalf of Peterson, noted the SOC’s work in transferring organizational information over to the newly introduced Highland Hub management platform.
Senior Class Representative Catherine Kane ’26 then closed the meeting by mentioning that notifications could be set with the introduction of Extra Eats into MacNav to inform students about food offerings as they become available.
