Last Thursday, Nov. 7, Weyerhaeuser’s Board Room filled with members of Macalester College Student Government (MCSG) who gathered to make a decision on the voting amendment proposed by sophomore class representative AnLian Krishnamurthy ’27 and to hear committee updates.
The meeting began with Student Organizations Committee Chair Sean Maxfield ’26 presenting the committee’s new appeal process for student orgs to the Legislative Body (LB), then focusing specifically on the Charter on Heterodox Academy (HxA). At a previous MCSG meeting, the org was not chartered due to questions raised about funding from the national organization.
HxA representative Matthew Allaire ’27 encouraged the LB to ask any additional questions they might have relating to the transparency of the org’s funding. No questions were raised. The HxA was approved with 20 votes for, none against and two abstaining.
The discussion then moved to the proposed voting amendment. Krishnamurthy reintroduced the bill and then opened the floor for questions. He again explained that his intention with the proposal was to protect members of the student government by having votes conducted through a Google Form and then not publishing them on MCSG’s website. Instead, students would have to make a request via email to see how their representatives voted.
Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) Chair Tristan Niedzielski ’25 suggested a change to the bill, where MCSG would still vote through Google Forms but the results would be available to all of Macalester without having to take additional steps to obtain them.
“The rationale is that going through a separate step of students having to request it is another barrier to transparency,” Niedzielski said.
Krishnamurthy was against this suggestion, arguing that sending the email “isn’t too much of a hurdle, it takes three minutes max.”
The discussion then moved on to Section 9 of the amendment, which would allow MCSG to make voting records unavailable to any members of the public, if the subject of the vote was declared to be “contentious” by the LB.
President Joel Sadofsky ’25 then asked whether Krishnamurthy had contacted peer institutions to inquire how they approach voting within student government and to whom the votes are available. After Krishnamurthy said that he had not, Sadofsky announced that he in fact had. After speaking with members of the Minnesota Council of Private College Student Government Presidents, he learned that all of their policies are similar, if not identical, to MCSG’s current one.
Vice President Ryan Connor ’25 brought up the danger of student-assisted doxxing, which could arise if all students were to have access to the voting records.
“I personally think the email thing is fine,” Connor said. “If someone asks for it, we’ll know who asked for it and we can give it to them.”
Niedzielski reiterated that the email policy would discourage people from seeking voting information. They also pointed out that there are currently no guidelines in place that would lead to any repercussions if a student was to release the information more broadly.
Krishnamurthy responded to Niedzielski’s concerns about transparency, saying: “I feel like, if you stop because of an email, then you don’t really care that much.”
International Student Liaison Laurice Jimu ’27 then moved to amend the proposed amendment in its entirety. Six voted for, 16 against and none abstained.
The meeting concluded with Cabinet updates, starting off with Residential Life and Dining Liaison Galjer Yangwaue ’27 thanking Aisha Ibrahim ’28 for her suggestions to make food accommodations for students with allergies and dietary restrictions more accessible and of higher quality.
In addition to bringing these recommendations up in her meetings with Bon Appetit General Manager Amy Tomes, Yangwaue said that she is trying to provide more kosher and gluten-free items. She also revealed that an app for Cafe Mac employees should be coming out next semester or even sooner. In her next meeting with Executive Director of Residential Life Kyle Flowers, taking place on Nov. 21, Yangwaue hopes to discuss potential changes in compensation for Resident Assistants (RAs) and other benefits.
Health and Wellness Liaison Catherine Kane ’26 began with a PSA to all students: “If you’re struggling with the results of the election, there are resources on campus,” Kane said before announcing the addition of a new part-time Muslim chaplain on campus. Kane added that she met with Robert Harri, the director of Public Safety, where they discussed the increase from eight to 15 EMTs who are on duty on campus Thursdays through Saturdays.
Kane was also informed that all Public Safety officers now carry narcan, but no officers have used it since March. Public Safety officers have also been responding to more students who have called their office regarding the use of THC via edibles.
Speaking to his recent work, Jimu then shared that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), changed its policy and will now require international students who are out of the United States for more than five months to reapply for their visas.
“This has really struck a nerve with the international students who are planning to study abroad,” Jimu said. “Currently, ISP is assuring people that they can still study abroad and we’ll be there to support them in the reapplication of the visa. It’s yet to be known what Macalester can do with the fees that come with that.”
Jimu will also be meeting with members of Macalester’s administration to discuss international students and entrepreneurs.
Athletics and Recreation Liaison Jordan Galloway ‘26 discussed how the Student Athletic Advisory Committee hosted an initiative on Nov. 4 as part of their annual “Kofi Kup” – a year long competition between varsity teams and supporting non-varsity athletes – to encourage students to vote in the 2024 general election. The PAAM (Pride Athletes at Macalester) sent out a notice to queer students encouraging them to seek resources if they are in need of support.
