By Aleksandra Sidorova
The Student Association Senate approved a social media specialist and granted three clubs provisional status and $1,730 to Public Relations Student Society of America Nov. 15.
The Senate approved McKenna Brazie as the SA’s social media specialist. SA Coordinator of the Arts Alexander Finkey said Brazie completed the selection process, which included an interview, and gave her a fistbump.
Brazie has also been part of the Art Acquisition Board and is the president of the Plattsburgh Association for Visual Arts. Brazie said she plans to engage with students by showing her face and, as such, making herself a recognizable and “personable” figure. She said she plans to run the SA’s Instagram and Facebook pages, as well as Cardinal Link — a software that entered the scene of student involvement this semester.
The three clubs the Senate approved for provisional status are Mail-a-Hug, Geology Club and a chapter of BridgeUSA. Mail-a-Hug started out as a nonprofit organization during summer break, but is now being integrated into the SA as a club. It is dedicated to sending letters and handmade gifts to nursing home residents and children in orphanages to combat loneliness.
“The mission is, I think, a noble one, and we really want to help these people. There’s like no cost to anyone,” said Senator Arshita Pandey, who is also Mail-a-Hug’s treasurer.
Geology Club President Parker LeClair said the club aims to introduce students to more career opportunities within the field and allow them to interact with industry professionals.
BridgeUSA is a “youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates spaces on high school and college campuses for open discussion between students about political issues,” according to its website. Chapter President Nadia Potts emphasized that it is “not a debate club,” and instead consists of mediated discussions aimed at bridging partisan division among students. Potts and other club officials have been trained in mediation to ensure the conversations stay civil and constructive.
Additionally, PRSSA requested $1,730 in additional allocations to go to its Professional PR Dinner event held last night. It is the second event of its kind, inviting guests from the field of political public relations with the purpose of allowing students networking opportunities. The Senate unanimously granted the request.
Remarking from the gallery, Black Onyx: The Black Student Union brought the Senate’s attention to the $2,500 cap for additional allocations. Black Onyx President Shaniah Fairweather suggested that the cap be raised to $5,000, as the current amount is not enough to pay for all the services provided by small business owners, such as DJs, photographers and fashion designers. Black Onyx representatives said the club almost had to cancel an event due to limited funds.
