By Aleksandra Sidorova
After welcoming nine new senators the week before, the Student Association Senate assigned them areas of responsibility at its meeting Sept. 18. Some presented key issues they would like to address.
“I want us to be mindful that we have potential to make a lot of change in the school and that it’s only as serious as we take it,” said Charlotte Feliz, who assumed the role of Senate speaker. “And I commit to taking it very seriously.”
Elizabeth Alden is the senator working with College Auxiliary Services; Kritika Ghimire’s area is student affairs and diversity; Hrudayee Jagtap is responsible for campus safety; Janiyah James takes on student services; Nishan Khadgi chairs the Finance Board; Burke Nagel assists with the SA’s public relations; Manshikha Neupane’s focus is environmental issues; Harmony Sanders advocates for off-campus students.
In their reports, senators Mrudangi Trivedi, Carguello and Nagel mentioned campus dining as an issue students complained to them about.
Nagel announced she made steps toward including more information on allergens in the Boost app, which students use to place pickup orders at campus dining locations.
“It’s a safety hazard, especially since the school’s motto is ‘Self-identify,’” Nagel said, referring to a slogan some dining venues use to raise awareness for food allergies.
Another issue Nagel said she is aware of is inconsistent water temperatures in dorm showers. Carguello said that students told him they would like improvements to the Yokum Hall restrooms, assurance that the filters in water fountains are replaced on time and more frequent appearances from Burghy.
Nagel said students expect the SA to acknowledge and help address campus issues.
“I think we need to be really mindful about using the voice that we have to make students feel heard, especially because they do feel — which they should — that they’re paying for us to do this,” Nagel said.
Senators also mentioned the goals they set require a larger budget. This year, the SA’s budget is less than the $1 million its page on SUNY Plattsburgh’s website mentions, and the senators raised the possibility of increasing the SA fee further.
