By Olivia Bousquet
The Student Association senate meeting Oct. 26 approved $2,546 to Black Onyx for its annual Black Student Union Weekend. SA also approved two new voting members and two provisional organizations.
Black Onyx Treasurer Shaniah Fairweather asked the senators for $2,546 to help with expenses for the club’s weekend events. Wild ’n Out will start its weekend events today, Nov. 4, where students can play the game and win prizes. It will take place in the Angell College Center ballrooms at 7:30 p.m. The BSU fashion show will close the weekend Nov. 5 with three off-campus and two on-campus designers. The theme for the show is “Why would you wear that?” The event will also take place in the ACC ballrooms at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 per event or can be bundled for $12 to attend both.
The club is using the money to help pay for various professionals, such as a photographer, designers and a DJ. The same DJ will play at both events. Senator Aissatou Lo questioned the number of people attending the weekend events. According to Fairweather, there had been 30 to 40 tickets sold at the time of the meeting. However, she expects many people to buy their tickets last minute. The usual attendance is roughly 100 people per event.
Sophomore Kalema Gooding was approved to become a voting member of COAB. Gooding wanted to join because it was a way for her “to learn more about clubs and be more active on campus.” Senator Liza Ali also noted that Gooding was attending COAB for the past two weeks, and she was getting accustomed to it.
First-year Riley Castello was approved as a voting member for the legislative review board. Castello wanted to join LRB because she “wanted to leave campus better” than how she found it. She said she could do this through LRB. Senator Michael Caruselle noted that she has been to two meetings and seemed “very interested.”
One of the two clubs approved was Morgan’s Message. According to Morgan’s Message website, the mission is to “eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics.” Morgan Rodgers was a college lacrosse player who committed suicide in July 2019 after struggling with a knee-shattering injury.
A SUNY Plattsburgh student-athlete representative said that while it’s athlete-oriented, others can join because they may have been athletes or know athletes. The representative highlighted certain principles that the club will hold like being an upstanding citizen and to be someone people can come talk to about mental health. Senator Munashe Chikukwa asked if the club would expand to talk about mental challenges in academics. The representative noted they will talk about broad topics like performance anxiety, which can relate to being on the field or taking a test.
The second club approved the Information Systems Data Analytics Club. The mission of the club is to inform, support and inspire college students to be analytical and seek opportunity through creation. Students will be applying statistical analysis and technology to data to find trends and solve problems. It is open to all students.
The club representative said they focus on cyber security, so they will “look to host workshops and competitions.” They are also planning on collaborating with other clubs in the field. The club plans to meet on Thursdays and Fridays. Thursdays will be for workshops and coding, and Fridays will be for finalizing projects.
In other SA news, Vice President Saran Kaba is working on an environmental sustainability resolution for campus, and Treasurer Osamuyimen Omorogbe-Akapta spoke with the College Auxiliary Services board of directors about students’ concerns about campus dining. SA is in the process of sending out a campus-wide survey to students for feedback.
In regards to senator reports, there was more campus involvement. Senator Endalkachew Abebe spoke with Biketopia and the Campus Garden Club separately about future ideas. Some senators attended SUNY Plattsburgh’s Open House, fellow clubs or meetings with committees. Adviser Steve Matthews concluded the meeting by thanking those who attended the open house. He also noted seeing three SA alumni at an event in Long Island. They served in the SA in the ’70s and asked Matthews lots of questions about the current SA.
