by Adriana Saso-Graves

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Macalester College Student Government (MCSG) convened for the third time this year on Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the Weyerhaeuser Boardroom. The meeting began with an icebreaker and continued in the usual fashion.

Vice President and Student Services and Relations Chair Ariana Hones ’18 proposed dedicating a day in October to menstruation awareness on behalf of the Student Services and Relations Committee. This day would include menstruation education, and provide aid for economically disadvantaged female students. The proposal was met with a positive response from attendees. A date has not yet been determined.

MCSG President Suveer Daswani ’18 reported that the last Executive Board meeting primarily concerned appointments to campus committees for the new academic year. Those appointments were released on Tuesday.

Community Engagement Officer Rachel Stromsta ’19 proposed the idea of holding an MCSG Volunteer Day, and said that she had been in contact with the Civic Engagement Center regarding possible activities. Members of MCSG raised concerns regarding the date and logistics, which, should the proposal be adopted, will be decided on at a later date.

Director of Campus Activities and Operations Joan Maze then touched on a number of issues to address in the upcoming year – including seating, event space and the number of gender-neutral bathrooms in the Campus Center.

The Academic Affairs Committee is waiting for input from first-year students before finalizing this year’s goals, but representatives said that the committee intends to address the added noise on the second floor of the library and brainstorm ways to minimize noise reverberation in the Idea Lab.

The Legislative Board approved the student representatives for this year’s campus committees.

MCSG recognized students’ concerns about the potential repeal of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The college is waiting for concrete direction from Congress and the White House in the coming months. In a letter sent to the Macalester community on Sept. 5, President Brian Rosenberg urged students to contact the Interim Director of the Department of Multicultural Life Sedric McClure or Program Coordinator Carol Mejia with any concerns.

To close the meeting, Daswani said that he was excited to establish communication with admissions and financial aid, and that he is looking forward to next week’s meeting where the new first-year representatives will be in attendance.