On Thursday, Sept. 18, the Macalester College Student Government (MCSG) held its second Legislative Body (LB) meeting of the 2025-26 academic year.
MCSG Vice President Philomena Shuffelton-Sobe ’26 opened the meeting with a land acknowledgment before moving into quick introductions for new members.
Those members include Representatives Sophia Phillips ’26, Ines Visa ’27, Silvia Lungu ’28 and Pacha Laplanche ’29. Sammi Shelton ’29 was elected to the role of Communications & Engagement Chair.
The meeting moved to a review of the agenda’s role and approving meeting minutes from the previous session. Shuffelton-Sobe also noted that meetings are always reported on by The Mac Weekly.
“This is our public-facing meeting, so we want to be conscious of what questions we’re asking [and] what we’re saying,” Shuffelton-Sobe said.
Shuffelton-Sobe then handed the podium to MCSG President Willow Albano ’26, who reviewed changes to the student handbook. Albano reported that these changes were largely minimal aside from the addition of an anti-hazing section.
“The Act defines the term hazing to mean any intentional, knowing or reckless act committed by a person, whether individually or in concert with other persons, against another person or persons, regardless of the willingness of such other person or persons to participate,” Albano said. “[It must be] committed in the course of initiation into an affiliation with or the maintenance of membership in a student organization… and cause or create a risk … of physical or psychological injury.”
The LB then took up discussion of the charter for Dance Club, the first club to request official recognition this academic year.
“Dance Club is different in the way that … it includes jazz, hip hop and pom,” Dance Club President Ally-Rose Mueller ’26 said. “It’s a more general dance club with [more] styles than other clubs have.”
Macalester’s other dance clubs are Mac Swing Dance, tap dance and clogging club TapThat and Asian dance group X-ertion.
The motion to approve the chartering of Dance Club passed unanimously with 20 members in favor.
With the Speaker of the LB position temporarily filled by Shuffelton-Sobe, the LB moved into the nomination process for this year’s LB Speaker. Shuffelton-Sobe explained that the LB Speaker ensures the meeting remains on schedule and moderates conversation within LB meetings. Lungu, Catherine Kane ’26, Galjer Yangwaue ’27 and Visa were nominated for the position. Voting for the next LB Speaker will occur on Sept. 25. The elected speaker will assume their role Oct. 2.
The LB spent the following 15 minutes individually reviewing MCSG’s bylaws. Minor changes were then suggested to internal MCSG meeting requirements.
Moving into updates from issue-based liaisons and committee chairs, International Student Liaison Lyra Salihu ’27 shortly detailed their efforts to meet with International Student Programs and send out a questionnaire to international students.
Cabinet Chair Ainsley Meyer ’26 filled in for Athletics and Recreation Liaison Ash Granda-Bondurant ’27, detailing Granda-Bondurant’s efforts to promote clubs sports’ first aid training and their attempt to restore the Leonard Center’s previous hours.
Pardis Roham ’28 announced that she would be meeting with the staff of the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and the Lealtad-Suzuki Center for Social Justice.
Residential Life & Dining Liaison Yangwaue also shared that she will be meeting with Residential Life staff to discuss her role. Dining & Sustainability Liaison JJ Cuneo ’28 shared that they will meet with staff from the Sustainability Office and that they are working towards preventing food waste by announcing when events have leftovers.
Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) member Marina Moberg ’26 mentioned a proposed public meeting at an undetermined time with the Curriculum Implementation Committee, focusing on their work to overhaul Macalester’s general education requirements.
Senior Class Representative Kane presented the work of the Student Organizations Committee (SOC), which voted to approve the charter for Running Club and is working towards rechartering BIPOC community-focused SPACES Magazine. In the coming weeks, the LB will vote on chartering Macalester’s chapter of Dojo Explore, an e-sports club and “Twin Peaks” watch club, Tweakers at Mac.
Financial Affairs Committee (FAC) Chair David Christenfeld ’27 noted that eight separate requests for funding were approved by the committee, totaling $4,000 in allocations. Three additional allocations were tabled until the FAC’s next meeting, and two major requests totaling $19,000 would be sent to the LB in the coming weeks for debate.
Meyer noted that MCSG Cabinet’s $10,000 Community Chest Fund saw two requests approved for non-organization event funding, with $990 allocated for a bike lock giveaway on Sept. 26 and $860 allocated for Peace Day events on Sept. 21.
Shuffelton-Sobe returned to the podium to mention vacant positions for MCSG members on the Educational Policy and Governance Committee and the Academic Technology Advisory Team, also noting a request by admissions for an MCSG member to participate in a marketing research project.
Albano closed the meeting by reminding MCSG of a vacancy on the college’s Naming Committee and giving information to members about MCSG’s leadership retreat the following weekend.
“The retreat is a really important opportunity for us to do a lot of group bonding, which I think is important for making our rest of the year run smoothly,” Shuffelton-Sobe said in a post-meeting interview. “If we all feel like we know each other and we feel like we trust each other, then we can have better conversations and do more high [quality] work.”
