On Thursday, March 12, the Macalester College Student Government (MCSG) met in the Weyerhaeuser Boardroom for a short 26-minute session.
Associate Director of the Macalester Outreach Center Abbey Kamin opened the Legislative Body (LB) meeting by discussing the upcoming “Give to Macalester Day” (GTMD). The annual fundraising event will take place from March 25 to 27, with an on-campus donation event on the 26th. This year, the goal is 2,026 donors, with a stretch goal of 2,539. Last year, there were approximately 2,600 donors in total.
Throughout the event, participants can direct donations to an area that matters most to them, such as financial aid, athletics or clubs. There is also the opportunity to donate to the Macalester Fund, which supports the 35 percent of the school budget that tuition costs don’t cover.
This is the first year Macalester is using Slate, an advancement database and web-based fundraising platform, for GTMD. In the database, clubs can post donation matches and challenges to encourage donors. The Board of Trustees (BoT) will match a number of donations with their own personal finances. These will include a $100 match going to the whole fund for every $25 donation from current students and recent grads and a potential donation of $100,000 if the 2,026-donor goal is fulfilled.
During GTMD, Macalester community members can do many things besides just donate.
“They can encourage others to give, increase visibility by wearing Mac spirit wear, stop by the physical tents or even post on social media,” Kamin told the LB.
Kamin ended by saying anyone should feel free to email [email protected] if they have any questions.
Next up were Cabinet updates. Accessibility and Wellness Liaison Emma Rohrs ’26 shared that they had met with Tiger Simpson, Director of Health Promotion and Sexual Respect, to discuss a Public Safety advisory group that would help take pressure off the Alcohol and Drug advisory group.
Residential Life and Infrastructure Liaison Molly Friedrichs ’26 followed by announcing that housing selection will take place March 24 and March 26, and asking the student body to “spread the word that there is room for juniors and seniors on campus.”
Lastly, Dining and Sustainability Liaison Jj Cuneo ’28 let those present know that quesadillas for a meal swipe will return yearly on Sept. 25, also known as National Quesadilla Day. This is exciting news for all those who have dearly missed the convenient and delicious cheesy meal available at the Grille in years prior.
The meeting then moved to Committee updates, with Marina Moberg ’26 announcing on behalf of the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) an upcoming networking event on April 12 that aims to connect seniors with young alumni. Additionally, Moberg reported that the AAC had recently met with Kathryn Kay Coquemont, vice president for student affairs, to discuss how the school can better support international students during J-Term, as well as future programming ideas.
Liv Peterson ’27, Student Organizations Committee chair, shared that the committee had voted to recharter the Macalester DJ Society and is preparing for upcoming check-ins with clubs, as well as student leadership awards.
The updates concluded with Katherine Northrup ’27 on behalf of the Financial Affairs Committee, announcing approval of vans for a spring break Outing Club trip and the denial of funds for the BIPOC Athletes Club as a result of improperly submitted forms and insufficient receipts.
The session concluded with general announcements, which were kept brief with only one piece of news: that MCSG Executive Elections will be open after spring break, and Class Representative positions will be open on April 9. So, “if you have already been thinking about running… next year [MCSG] would love to have each and every one of you here in some capacity,” Philomena Shuffelton Sobe ’26 said before adjourning the week’s meeting.
