On Thursday, March 27, members of the Legislative Body (LB) of Macalester College Student Government (MCSG) were joined by representatives of student organizations to discuss next year’s budget allocations. Following the Financial Affair Committee’s (FAC) presentation, the LB discussed Cabinet and committee updates.
FAC Chair David Christenfeld ’27 revealed that this year’s budget requests have exceeded last year’s by $50,000 and that budget requests have nearly tripled since 2021. The total of all budget requests for 2024 was $325,404. However, FAC had only $92,000 to allocate.
Following all of the student orgs’ speeches, Speaker of the LB Liv Peterson ’27 invited Cabinet liaisons to share their updates.
Cabinet Updates:
Belonging & Accessibility Liaison Willow Albano ’26 shared that they have been planning a training session for how to navigate ongoing increases in detainments and raids performed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement hosted by an American Civil Liberties Union representative.
Athletics and Recreation Liaison Ash Granda-Bondurant ’27 spoke about the upcoming Scot Ball.
International Student Liaison Laurice Jimu ’27 shared that he has been working closely with International Student Programs (ISP) in navigating the new policies concerning international students’ travels in and out of the country.
Dining & Residential Life Liaison Galjer Yangwaue ’27 announced that chicken tenders will be available to purchase every Monday after 8 p.m. on a meal swipe. On Wednesday nights, students will be able to use their meal swipes to get a classic Macalester delicacy: the macadilla. Yangwaue also reported that the waffle station should start running all day sometime the following week.
Committee Updates
Senior Class Representative Cooper Glick ’25, representing the FAC, noted that their committee has approved a funding request for Mac Bike stickers. FAC also “denied health professionals some pizza,” according to Glick.
First-Year Class Representative Lina Solh ’28 spoke for the Academic Affairs Committee, which has been in communication with the Curriculum Implementation Committee to make improvements for the upcoming semester. The updates will be discussed at the Tuesday, April 8 faculty meeting from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Alexander G. Hill Ballroom of Kagin Commons.
Concluding the meeting, President Joel Sadofsky ’25 asked the LB to encourage students to run for positions on the executive board and apply for the position of the Board of Trustees (BoT) liaison.
The meeting was then adjourned 40 minutes early.
