MACALESTER COLLEGE STUDENT GOVERNMENT

MCSG distributes MPIRG referendum, charters org

MCSG discussed the MPIRG referendum that will once again be on the table in the coming weeks. There was an email sent out to all students letting them know they could opt out of putting their Student Activity Fee toward MPIRG for this semester, and MCSG executives questioned whether the form was transparent enough for students to understand it.

The FAC denied Mac Pics and Mac Martial Arts requests for funding because they were submitted too late. The FAC approved money for a Hip Hop for Hope event sponsored by Habitat for Humanity in collaboration with Program Board and the Civic Engagement Center. The Outing Club was approved for $5,120 for equipment and food. Mac Cares was approved $812 for the Real Food Challenge on Nov. 18.

The LB approved the charter for Mac and Cheese, and they officially have become an organization. The org’s purpose is to create an environment in which Macalester students can come together to discuss food and its cultural and community significance. They also hope to discover the culinary community of the Twin Cities.

PB Chair Sana Naz gave the annual budget presentation discussing PB’s stewardship of their $60,000 budget.

TWIN CITIES

Parades, rally planned to protest Washington team name

A series of protests and marches are planned for tomorrow’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and Washington’s NFL franchise. The protests hope to call attention to the racism and offensiveness of Washington’s nickname. Between 8:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m., three marches will begin from different locations in Minneapolis and convene at TCF Bank Stadium by 10 a.m., where the game will be held. After the marches, there will be a rally outside the stadium featuring community activists and Native American leaders in the area as well as Rep. Betty McCollum (D-St. Paul). The University of Minnesota, which owns TCF Bank Stadium, urged the Washington team to not use their nickname during the game, and Hennepin County passed a resolution urging the team to change their name. The City of Minneapolis said they lacked the legal authority to prevent Washington from using the name. Thousands are expected to take place in the marches and rally on Saturday.

ST. PAUL

Snelling Avenue bridge over I-94 closing for rest of year

The Snelling Avenue bridge over I-94 will close on Monday and remain closed until December. During the closure, Xcel energy will relocate power lines in advance of a resurfacing project and bridge deck replacement next May. The 84 bus route and auto traffic will experience detours during that time.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CENTER

CEC will Trick-or-Treat for Cans on Halloween

The Civic Engagement Center is sponsoring a ‘Trick-or-Treat for Cans” event tonight. They are looking for students to go trick-or-treating in the Mac Groveland neighborhood between 5 and 8 p.m. tonight, to kick off Hunger and Homelessness Month. To sign up, go to the Civic Engagement Center website. For questions, email [email protected].

ST. PAUL

MetroTransit proposes improved bus service, signage

The Metropolitan Council announced a draft of their plan this week designed to improve bus service in the Twin Cities region. The draft Service Improvement Plan includes 122 improvements that hope to increase the frequency and availability of bus service in the region, by expanding and improving existing routes and adding new ones. However, the plan is estimated to cost upwards of $72 million and the plan is not fully funded. If implemented, the plan would increase MetroTransit ridership by approximately 16 million rides by 2030. Proposed improvements in the plan call for making the 63 bus, which runs down Grand Avenue, operate every 15 minutes, an improvement from the current 20-minute frequency, and the 84, which runs up Snelling Avenue, would operate around the clock and offer late-night service. The Met Council is currently holding public meetings to obtain feedback on the plan and hopes to have the plan approved by next Spring.

In addition, MetroTransit announced a plan to improve signage at bus stops around the region. Current signs only say “Bus Stop” and have no identifying characteristics on them. The new signs will have maps, directions to nearby attractions, the route’s frequency, and instructions on how to get real time arrival information. After a pilot installation of 100 signs in North Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park this year, the signs will debut throughout the rest of the region by 2015.

DEPARTMENT OF MULTICULTURAL LIFE

Noura Erakat lecturing for SPEAK! series on Tuesday

Today, October 31, Adelante will be holding a Day of the Dead kickoff in the Center for Religious and Spritiual Life lounge from 7 to 9 p.m. The following day, Adelante will be holding its Dia de los Muertos altar ceremony in the Chapel, also from 7 to 9 p.m.

On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Noura Erakat will be in the Campus Center’s JBD Lecture Hall from 7 to 9 p.m. as part of the Lealtad-Suzuki Center’s SPEAK! Series. Erakat, a human rights attorney and activist, will be speaking about the Israeli-Palestinian situation’s current state and her outlook on how the situation will progress.

PROGRAM BOARD

Winter Ball plans under way, Skyzone trip next Saturday

Program Board urges students to be on the lookout for a surprise in their SPO boxes as preparations for Winter Ball are “in full swing.”

Guardians of the Galaxy will be showing in the John B. Davis Lecture Hall (in the basement of the Campus Center) tonight at 8 p.m.

Program Board will also be sponsoring a trip to the Skyzone Jumping Arena, the world’s first indoor trampoline park. Tickets will go on sale this Monday, Nov. 3. The trip will take place next Saturday, Nov. 8 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER

Seasonal Affective Disorder discussion, flu shot clinic

On Wednesday, Nov. 5, there will be a Wellness Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the Wellness Lounge. Later in the day, starting at 4 p.m. in the lobby of the Leonard Center, there will be a What the Health event on Seasonal Affective Disorder. Stop by to check out examples of full spectrum lighting available from the HWC to combat SAD. On Thursday, Nov. 6, a flu shot clinic will be held in the Wellness Lounge from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Over the next few weeks, students are encouraged to submit their experiences with consent to a new compilation of student work being put together by the Health and Wellness Center. Submissions can be sent to [email protected] and can be in the form of poetry, narrative or visual art.

CAMPUS ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONS

Campus Center to host Halloween Spectacular tonight

The Halloween Spectacular event will take place in the Campus Center and in the Loch Friday, Oct. 31. The event will start at 9 p.m., and there will be food and events both upstairs in the campus center and in the Loch. The primary event is the Haunted House in the Loch, and it will partially restrict access of SPOs through Saturday.