SA funds three club trips

By Hayden Sadler

The Student Association Senate unanimously approved travel funding requests for several different clubs in its meeting March 22. Additionally, senators had some announcements regarding upcoming general elections and on-campus storage for international students.

The first item on the agenda was the approval of $2,000 to the JEDI Dance Club’s trip to Albany to attend a dance competition. The club’s calculated total was around $1,100, which led to questions about the initial request. 

Senator Carter Mosher motioned to approve an amendment to the agenda and change the terms of the request to up to $1,000. The changed proposal was unanimously approved. The funds cover a two-night stay at the Albany Ramada Plaza and the purchase of costumes — rainbow-striped mesh bodysuits — for the 11 attendees. 

Black Onyx also requested $2,000 to travel to Howard University in Washington, D.C. from April 6 to April 9. The club has plans to attend seminars and visit museums during their trip. The group will travel by van and stay in four hotel rooms priced at $400 each. In addition to finding a place to stay, the cost of transportation was estimated to be around $1,000. Black Onyx’s request was unanimously approved.

APOSA, Apostolic Students and Associates, requested an $800 travel grant for four students to attend an Easter convention. The club’s initial estimate of $800 proved to be higher than needed. The club quickly changed its request to $570, requiring $120 for traveling and $450 for lodging. The request was unanimously approved.

Club International and the club Nepalese at Plattsburgh requested $1,000 for their upcoming event April 8 featuring a pool, sprinklers and powdered dye. The event will be a celebration of Holi, the Hindu festival of color, spring and love. The request was unanimously approved.

The Plattsburgh chapter of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization requested $400 to fund a contest event, where students submit entrepreneurship themed proposals in a Shark Tank-style pitch competition with a prize of $100. Fifty to 60 people are currently expected to attend. C.E.O.’s request was also approved unanimously.

The Plattsburgh Association of Black Journalists requested an additional allocation of $2,000 for its second annual Black Excellence Gala celebrating women. PABJ plans on hosting a student DJ and a poet. However, the cost of tech setup proved to be more expensive than anticipated. Tickets to the event today, March 31, cost $8 per person. The request was unanimously approved.

The Desi Club had a $2,100 additional allocation request for a South Asian Prom Night event. It is the Desi Club’s first big event, with $100 going toward decorations and the remaining $2,000 going toward Chartwells catering. Sixty to 70 people are expected to attend the event. The senate provided unanimous approval. 

The Muslim Student Association had two requests, both of which were approved unanimously. The first request was $1,265 for Chartwells to provide food for a Ramadan dinner tonight, March 31, in Kent Hall. All are welcome to come. The second request was for $60 so the club can acquire ajwa dates — a type of dates that grows in and around the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

The club LEGO, Learning and Experiencing God, was also present with a request for $1,497 for their Easter event in the Warren Ballrooms of Angell College Center. The event will be held April 9 and will be a celebration with praise dancing, gospel and a guest speaker. Tickets will be $7. The request was also unanimously approved.

The SA also talked about paying the $2,885 needed for tax that College Auxiliary Services did not withhold when paying international students their stipends. The base total was $2,200, but $650 interest was added into the final owed amount. The senate unanimously approved the allocation of money.

Ex-officio positions were also approved for some of the senators. Arshita Pandey was approved as senator for campus safety, Dipekshya Karki was approved as senator for College Auxiliary Services and Sumeet Vishwarkarma was approved as senator for the Legislative Review Board. Carter Mosher was also approved for the position of senator for the Art Acquisition Board.

Finally, senators had some announcements to make. Mosher announced his upcoming run for SA president in the next election, to happen in April. Pandey announced another run for senator. Lastly, Senator Nilay Vaidya assured that international students will receive an email regarding changes to on-campus storage during summer break.