SGA Column 4/4: Roundup of Resolutions and Discussions

On April 4, the Student Government Association (SGA) General Assembly discussed a number of exciting and important resolutions. Though a chronological retelling of the meeting is my usual style, I think it would be most beneficial for the general readership of The College Voice to first have an overview of what a resolution actually is. In the meeting, this explanation occurred later because it was a review of information the Assembly had been provided previously this year. In order, we heard a Sustainable Projects Fund resolution proposal from Sprout Garden leaders, a resolution for Registered Student Organization (RSO) status from Chess Club leaders, a resolution proposed by Chair of Residential Affairs Mel Rollins ‘25 to alter the membership of the General Assembly, and finally, a short presentation from Parliamentarian Timothy Friend ‘25 on how to construct a resolution before the standard reports from senators, committees, officers, and presidents. It is Friend’s presentation on the writing of resolutions that I am going to begin with. 

Resolutions are the tools of SGA to do things. SGA meetings help students come together to discuss issues around campus, develop solutions for them, and propose resolutions to enact those solutions. 

There are, as I consider them, two main types of resolutions (with one having a sub-type). The first is an SGA-related financial resolution. These resolutions are ones that are used to distribute SGA funds to various groups on campus for specific requested purposes. For example, earlier this year, PERIOD. requested $4,375.94 through a resolution in order to set up period product dispensers around campus. I consider club resolutions for RSO status to be a sub-type of this resolution, because they are resolutions that position a club to request financial allocations in the future (therefore, they are also related to finances). The second type is essentially everything that isn’t about money. These resolutions often involve SGA or College policies and, when applicable, are sent beyond SGA to the relevant offices, staff, or administrators and make statements about the wants and needs of the student body (with SGA operating as the voice of that student body). Functionally, both resolutions have the same format and are not separated by these categories, they just help me understand the purpose and possibilities of resolutions. 

There is a template for resolutions (a Google Doc). It begins with the phrase “Be it enacted by the Connecticut College Student Government Association (SGA), that the SGA…” This, as Friend describes “is kinda like your thesis statement.” Following this sentence stem, you (anyone creating a resolution) writes what they want to see happen at the College. 

Under this thesis statement, there are the “whereas statements,” which all just start with “whereas.” There can be as many whereas statements as you would like for a resolution. The whereas statements are all the reasons the writer thinks the thesis statement should happen. They are each one to two sentences about the general topic. They are like mini body paragraphs, to continue with the metaphor of an essay. 

There are two concluding sentence fragments: “There be it resolved, the SGA…” and “Be it finally resolved, that the SGA approve the resolution with…” The first is a place to restate the introductory thesis, and the second is “what you need in order to make it pass,” said Friend. 

Resolutions are either passed through a simple majority vote (50% + 1 of the General Assembly) or a ⅔ majority vote (⅔ of the General Assembly). In order to vote on anything, the General Assembly must meet quorum (so again, tell your representatives to show up!). Resolutions are presented in a meeting and then voted on in the next meeting in which the Assembly makes quorum. For the Assembly, ⅔ of members make quorum (at least 25 people). 

At the very end of the resolution, there is a “staple list.” Friend said this list is “all the people who are backing you on this.” This list of people are just supporters of the resolution. If they have relevant positions for the resolution, they usually write those positions after their name but that is not necessary. Students can also include their class year after their name, if they would like. For example, for the Chess Club resolution, Vice President Ian Hopkins ‘25 was listed in the staple list as “Ian Hopkins, SGA Vice President,” but he could have been “Ian Hopkins, Class of 2025” or “Ian Hopkins, Chess Club member” (if, in fact, he was a member of the Chess Club). Having a lengthy staple list is unnecessary, but it shows who you have already talked to about the resolution and could show the support you have from the students, staff, or faculty outside of General Assembly meetings, which can help the General Assembly understand the interested parties for a specific resolution. 

Friend summed up signatures on the staple list when he said, “The staple list is basically saying, ‘I am a person and I approve of this.’”

And that’s how a resolution is created! As Friend said, “It’s really simple, but it just looks intimidating.”

A resolution can truly be about anything a student wants to have happen on campus. They can also be written by anyone. Students don’t have to be on SGA in any capacity to write a resolution. However, members of SGA can often be helpful resources in assisting students writing them if they’ve never personally had the experience. The power of SGA and student governance is in the hands of the student body with resolutions. The SGA officers at the meeting encouraged the General Assembly to write resolutions and to tell people around campus that they have the means to write resolutions.

Friend volunteered himself to the student body saying, “I will literally sit down at a coffee shop and help you write one.”

In a play on what I wrote last time, if you have opinions about the College, things you want to be changed, feel free to tell your friends, Yak about it, bring it to SGA, or write a resolution. A couple of those options might be more effective than the others, though all are valid. 

After the Oath and roll call, Sprout Garden leaders presented a proposed resolution for funds from the Sustainable Projects Fund (SPF) to finance an outdoor kitchen and gathering space. Currently, Sprout feels disconnected from local food systems and limited in its ability to educate the campus about its programming. There is currently a space for eating and preparing food, but it is small, worn down, and lacks professional hygienic standards. 

Sprout has identified a location that will not be impacted by the renovations for the Cro-Plex connection. Sprout hopes to build a pavilion adjacent to the high tunnels (the big white-ish domes) and install a fully functional outdoor kitchen as well as a stage area for MOBROC. The construction would begin this summer during the Cro-Plex renovations.

Their stated goal is to foster community reliance; connect people to their food; promote awareness about social, economic, and political issues surrounding food; enhance Sprout’s social sustainability; and create a multipurpose space for dining, performing, and learning. 

For this project, Sprout is requesting [AMOUNT] from the SPF and plans to acquire additional funding from advancement campaigns and donations. The SPF is a pot of money that can be used for any projects with a sustainability aspect, be it environmental, social, or otherwise. This resolution is requesting the remainder of the SPF.

After their presentation, Sprout leaders opened themselves up to questions from the General Assembly. 

Responding to concerns about cleanliness of the space, they said the responsibility for that would fall to the Farm Managers, a leadership position for Sprout Garden. For additional details on the timeline of the construction, they said they hope for the pavilion to be built this summer and for the kitchen to be constructed during the upcoming school year. They hope for the workers creating the Cro-Plex connection to also be the ones to build the pavilion. Once they have secured funding for the project, they plan to bring the request to the relevant offices in order to achieve this. Sprout Garden will remain operational during the construction. 

With that, the Sprout leaders ended their presentation (to be voted on at the next SGA meeting), and Friend transitioned the Assembly to the presentation of the resolution for Chess Club.

Chess Club requested RSO status. Clubs and organizations that are RSO can request allocations from SGA’s Finance Committee, typically allowing them to receive more funding than Affiliated Student Organizations (ASOs), which do not have any guaranteed funding. 

Chess Club primarily focused on lack of funds being restrictive of their ability to compete in tournaments. They also hope to host open tabs, provide food at some meetings, and continue to host New London County Championships. 

Currently, they have a type of sponsorship/coordination with chess.com that helps them sell merchandise without being charged themselves. They try to fundraise where they can, but it is difficult for them to raise enough money to do all that they would like to. 

Chief of Communications Eli Craddock ‘26 asked whether they had ever considered or would in the future charge entry fees to tournaments they host on campus or fees for members who would like to compete in tournaments. The Chess Club leadership’s reaction was in decisive opposition to this, since they value equal access to chess-playing opportunities for anyone who would like to participate. They pride themselves on their accessibility for all students, regardless of skill level or income. However, they did acknowledge to the General Assembly that their lack of funding has required members in the past to contribute notable amounts of their personal money in order to travel to and compete in tournaments. Though they would not like to establish a financial barrier to participation, they did recognize that it would solve some of their funding issues. 

The Chess Club resolution will be voted on at the next SGA meeting. 

Following Chess Club, Rollins presented a resolution to add two new roles to the General Assembly: an international student-at-large and a transfer student-at-large.

Rollins read through the resolution in her presentation to the General Assembly. Rollins said, “Whereas, the SGA executive board finds the House Senator model of the General Assembly to be insufficient in representing all student on campus; and whereas, the SGA does not have intentional representation for Connecticut College international or transfer students…Whereas, international and transfer students are cohorts established by the Office of the Dean of the College and can provide unique perspectives to the student experience…”

The term “student-at-large” is used in SGA to refer to a student that is chosen from the entire student body. On committees, there are often students from the General Assembly and at least one student-at-large. The General Assembly students must first be elected to SGA and then elected from the Assembly to be the representative on that committee. Students-at-large, however, must only be selected for that specific committee. The term is used here to say that these prospective members of the General Assembly will not be on the executive board of SGA and will be elected from all residential houses and all class years, so long as they are an international or transfer student. 

The goal of the resolution is to make the General Assembly a better representation of the actual student body. 

Hopkins added an important note to the discussion of the resolution. This is a resolution to alter the constitution of SGA that will begin a “block” for students-at-large in the Assembly. This could potentially enable SGA to more easily add other students-at-large in the future to represent additional areas of campus. It is also important to know that a change to the SGA constitution requires a vote of the whole student body. So, if this passes at the General Assembly, a referendum will be held in the fall semester and a majority of the student body must agree to alter the constitution. Please, vote (even if it’s in opposition)!

In this resolution, there is a section that disqualifies students who “have any Title IX violations” from serving in this position. Currently, this does not disqualify students for any position in SGA. This is something the current executive board of SGA is trying to have added to the SGA Bylaws before the end of the semester, but it is something the General Assembly will need to approve later this month. It is added in this resolution and would go into effect immediately for these positions, regardless of the results of the vote to add this as a requirement for other SGA positions. 

When Friend asked, “any questions?” Blackstone House Senator Abdul Dare ‘27 responded, “Well, first—” and led the Assembly through a round of applause in appreciation of the resolution. 

There were no other comments or questions, and the resolution will be voted on at the next SGA meeting. 

The General Assembly was able to approve the meeting minutes from the last meeting, because we reached quorum twice in a row. Noticing this, Friend checked the roster and informed the Assembly that this was the very first time this semester that every house with a house senator actually had that senator present! This is exciting news for SGA. 

Friend moved the meeting on to senator reports. Jane Addams House Senator Ethan Chin ‘25 brought up a question about whether there was a way to charge student meal plans without Camel Cards (for when students lose or forget their card). And if there was not, he expressed his desire that such a method be developed. Chair of Honor Council Ali Rubin ‘25 had the unfortunate response for him that not having one’s Camel Card is actually a violation of the Honor Code. But, if Chin would like to change that policy, Rubin encouraged him to write a resolution. Other members of the Assembly advised him to ask friends to use their guest swipes. 

Moving on to committee reports, Class of 2026 President Aaron Mckissack ‘26 reported on the last Information Services Committee meeting. The committee is hoping to start purchasing the required textbooks for each class, preferably digitally but physical copies where necessary. They will make it a requirement that the course is taught in an accessible location and is itself an accessible course in order for the textbook to be covered. 

The committee also reviewed the school’s reconsideration policy, which is the school’s policy to reconsider a book. According to Mckissack, students can ask the school to remove a book “because you got beef with the person who made it, because it’s offensive, etcetera, etcetera.” Only current people at the College can submit these requests. Requests are reviewed by the librarians and “a guy named Fred, and they talk about it—they yap about it,” said Mckissack. The Vice President of Information Services reviews the report generated from the librarians and Fred in order to make the final decision. This decision is reported to the person who submitted the initial request. 

Over the summer, the security gates by the entrance to the library will be removed. The members of the Information Services Committee felt they were contrasting negatively with the message and culture of the Honor Code on campus that expounds trust. Additionally, Mckissack said the library hopes to “link up with a company to have a self checkout station with an app.” This report generated appreciative “ooos and ahhs” from the Assembly. 

The committee is also working on “Code Protect the Herd,” which is their project to prevent security breaches and data leaking. There are three stages of this project. In the first, the College will focus on small security enhancements, trainings, monitoring the dark web, and single-sign-on security upgrades. For the second, the College will invest in additional email security, password complexity requirements, and data retention compliance. In the third and final phase, the College will work on additional VPNs and security training. 

Information Services is currently sending fake phishing emails to faculty and staff and are seeing that a lot of the recipients are failing these tests (meaning they are falling for the fake scam). The committee is considering beginning these exercises with students but they don’t currently have the required licensing for it. 

And lastly, the committee is working to implement a new password protection software that will be free for all students. They are striving to activate this before the end of the semester so the current seniors will be able to benefit as well. 

Student Activities Council (SAC), a council under SGA, reported that their executive board positions are open and the sign-up period will close soon. Meetings are every week on Mondays at 4:15 pm, but are usually determined each semester based on the schedules of the students who attend regularly (and Director of Student Engagement Jeannette Williams). Students are welcome to email sac@conncoll.edu if they are unable to attend the weekly meetings due to conflict with their schedule. 

Rollins, presenting her officer report as Chair of Residential Life, reminded the Assembly that there will be a housing waitlist for rising Sophomores. This happens every year and those students will get housing but she understands the situation can be stressful. Approximately 25 students were approved to live off campus next year (just a fun fact).

The Finance Committee met with the People of Color Alliance (POCA) and approved their funding request. 

By the time this article comes out, Class Council elections will be over, but this is a reminder to please vote in all SGA elections. Our SGA is our most local form of government and local government can have a lot of power and authority over our lives. SGA may seem like a group of students who think too highly of themselves, but they can improve our experience at Conn as much as we empower them to. If students are disengaged with SGA, SGA cannot effectively improve campus life. 

The meeting was adjourned with a final request and reminder for General Assembly members to show up to the remainder of Assembly meetings for the rest of the semester so proposed resolutions can be voted on. As a final reminder for the general student body, SGA meetings are open to everyone! If you have an opinion, questions, or any interest at all, you are welcome to attend. If you can’t stay for the whole time, you are still welcome to come for what you can! As elected representatives, General Assembly members do their best to represent the views of their respective student groups, but the more perspectives present in a meeting to discuss a matter of interest, the more we can be confident the final conclusion of the discussion and the potential resolutions that come from it will be of benefit to the campus community as a whole. 

Until next week,

Adrien Landon