MCSG ponders accessibility
September 8, 2022
On Tuesday, Sept. 6, the Macalester College Student Government (MCSG) met in the Weyerhaeuser Boardroom for their first Legislative Body (LB) meeting of the academic year.
The LB discussed potential changes to meeting time, format and accessibility for all members of the Macalester community that they plan to develop in more detail during the weeks to come. They also discussed the upcoming elections where five First Year Representatives, one Junior Class Representative and three Senior Class Representatives will be elected.
The meeting was held during the Tuesday activity period from 12-1 PM, a change from the previous time slot of 7-9 PM on Tuesday evenings. Some members expressed hope that this potential new meeting time will make the meetings more accessible to the general student body and allow for safer travel for MCSG members who live off-campus.
“Upperclassmen, we’re finding, it didn’t seem fair to us to walk home at night,” Vice President and chair of the Student Services and Relations Committee (SSRC) Bobbie Pennington ’24 said. “So we are doing this on a trial basis. But we want to know your feedback.”
In response, other members expressed concern about other time conflicts, including work study jobs and classes, that may prevent members from attending meetings at 12-1 PM.
Additionally, in an attempt to further the inclusivity in LB meetings, MCSG is hoping to shift the format of their meetings to be more tailored to the interests of their constituents and members of its committees. Joel Sadofsky ’25, chair of the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC), shared that he plans to switch from Robert’s Rules to the Democratic Rules of Order in order to make processes shorter and easier to understand, ideally decreasing barriers to student engagement.
In his process of revising the Democratic Rules of Order, Sadofsky also stated that he hopes to revise the Election Bylaws as MCSG prepares to welcome new members and class representatives for this upcoming election cycle.
Various committees within MSCG are also looking to welcome new members and begin new initiatives. The Financial Affairs Committee (FAC) chair Heaji Kang ’23 shared that the committee is currently looking for a bookkeeper and more members. Sadofsky relayed that the AAC purchased new textbooks over the summer and is attempting to divide the uses for their $13,000 annual budget. Pennington shared that the SSRC is looking for new members and has recently filed a community chest request.
Lastly, the LB discussed the upcoming MCSG election. Kang encouraged spectators present to file for a class representative position for the upcoming elections and to sign up to represent MCSG at the student org fair on Sept. 9.
