The Plattsburgh State Galilean society will treat PSUC students to a planetarium show despite the skepticism of the Student Association.
Galilean society was approved to receive up to $555 in additional allocations for the rights to show “Skywatchers of Africa” in the NorthCountry planetarium.
The show is based on the eight different cultures in Africa which all talk about its creation story. “Skywatchers of Africa” is an original production by the Adler Planetarium. It highlights african astronomy, examines cultural uses of the sky that developed throughout history, and celebrates the shared human experiences.
“The show itself is about the different cultures in Africa and how they viewed the night stars,” Galilean Society Treasurer Kayla Gladle said. “The show is about the myths associated with [African] beliefs and the stars themselves.”
“At first we wanted to purchase the show as a gift to the planetarium,” Gladle said. “There was some confusion on how that would work, so we decided to buy the time slot for the planetarium and put on a show for the campus.”
Galilean society president Jordan Mccloud works in the Northcountry planetarium as an office manager who programs the actual presentation while Gladle handles money and orders from companies.
Gladle and Mccloud’s request was rejected by the board of finance which shook their confidence while appealing to the senate. SA senators took their time deciding whether to approve the Galilean society’s request. Senators had a variety of concerns for Gladle and Mccloud’s request.
“The dates for the show are very close to Valentines Day,” said Senator Ralph Cordeau. “I think that will result in low participation from students.”
Cordeau and other senators were also concerned about money being wasted due to a low number of students showing up.
“We honestly thought we weren’t going to get approved,” Mccloud said.
In other events, because of the sudden resignation of senator David Ross, PSUC student Bach Do was approved as a student senator.
PSUC student Jennifer Stanton was approved as student senate secretary.
Senator Claudia Theagene was elected Speaker of the Senate over senator Cordeau, who was also nominated for the position.
“I don’t want [the other senators] to think I’m above them,” Theagene said. “We are a team, and I want to work as a team.
The SA holds its weekly meeting every Wednesday at 9:15 p.m. in the Cardinal Lounge of the Angell College Center.
