By Aleksandra Sidorova
The Student Association Senate let go of a quarter of its additional allocations to fund student networking trips — both professional and spiritual — at its meeting Sept. 25.
PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING
Two clubs, the Student Managed Investment Fund and the Accounting & Finance Association, requested $1,000 each toward their joint trip that takes 22 students to Boston. The trips have been a long-standing semesterly tradition: In the spring semester they travel to New York, and to Boston in the fall.
The trip’s itinerary includes Brian Neureuther, dean of the School of Business and Economics, as well as several accounting faculty, as they tour Harvard and offices for investment firms KPMG and HarbourVest.
Students will also have an opportunity to network at a dinner sponsored by SUNY Plattsburgh alumni based in Boston and the Alumni Association. The trip itinerary also notes SUNY Plattsburgh President Alexander Enyedi and his wife, Andrea, might be attending as well.
Kawai said attending a previous trip allowed him to make the connections to secure an internship with KPMG.
The clubs also each applied for a $2,000 grant from College Auxiliary Services. The SA Senate approved both clubs’ requests with overwhelming support. Senator John Carguello abstained.
SPIRITUAL RETREAT
The Newman Association, a club centered around the Catholic faith but inviting to all students, requested $495 toward its spiritual camping trip for the weekend of Sept. 27 through 29, to ensure students don’t have to pay out of pocket.
The requested funds cover 11 tickets, $45 each. The number of students attending is almost triple of last year’s, said Matt Edwards, the Newman Association treasurer.
“We want to make sure our newest members, who comprise about half of the students coming on this trip with us, don’t have to pay out of pocket, because we want them to enjoy and feel welcomed to the Newman Association,” Edwards said.
Plattsburgh’s Holy Cross Parish is providing another $495 toward the trip to Camp Guggenheim in Saranac Lake, New York.
Edwards said the camp hosts about 30 students — 11 from SUNY Plattsburgh and others from SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Canton and Siena College. At the camp, they would make connections, learn from regional faith leaders and enjoy outdoor activities such as kayaking.
This was the first time the club has requested additional funding from the Student Association in the two years that Edwards has held his position, he said. Edwards also noted that in 2022, the club was at risk of shutting down, but now has 27 members.
The SA Senate approved the request. This time, senators Elizabeth Alden and Carguello abstained from voting.
OTHER NEWS
The SA Senate approved Lolita Kincade, chair of the department of human development and family relations, as the adviser to the Student Affairs Board. Carguello abstained from voting.
Nekaybaw Ross, SA coordinator for student affairs and diversity, said Kincade’s advising style is compassionate and open-minded.
In senator reports, Alden said she had met with CAS Executive Director Catherine Keleher to discuss some of the dining issues discussed on campus and the Senate’s previous meeting.
Senator Janiyah James announced she partnered with Planned Parenthood, where she interns, to donate 100 safe sex kits to the Student Health and Counseling Center, with plans to do the same for menstrual hygiene products.
Senator Burke Nagel reported she had been promoting the Student Association through classroom visits and suggested the SA host giveaways to boost student engagement.
