by Isabella Molano

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The Macalester College Student Government’s (MSCG) Legislative Body convened on the evening of Oct. 18 in the Idea Lab on the second floor of the library.

Kate Ryan Reiling ’00, Macalester’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence, discussed how entrepreneurship is present on campus – specifically in the Idea Lab, an entrepreneurial project intended to connect departments, unearth resources, and spark creativity.

MCSG members were curious about feedback on the project, as well as how Reiling dealt with students’ skepticism about how entrepreneurship aligns with traditional liberal arts college values.

Andy Han ’19 and Shelby Witherby ’18 asked for feedback on the Access to Graduate School Bill, which will be voted on next week. Most MCSG members stated that feedback about taking money from the student activity fee has been, according to polls on class Facebook pages, overwhelmingly positive.

Although some members raised concerns about the limited of number of students who will be receiving the grant, Han and Witherby emphasized that this is simply a first step – if the program grows, funding will increase in the future.

The Student Org Committee introduced prospective orgs IfNotNow and the Gap Year Group.

IfNotNow is a spiritual and political national Jewish organization. Its primary goal is to end American support of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

The Gap Year Group aims to provide support for students who have taken time off either before or during their time at Macalester.

Both of the groups’ charters will be voted on next week.

President Suveer Daswani ’18 ended the meeting by encouraging members to attend Green Dot bystander trainings, which aim to empower bystanders to intervene in situations of personal violence. The first training will be happening over fall break.