The Ithaca College Student Governance Council met Sept. 29 to discuss upcoming initiatives for the school year. This meeting was the first meeting with the new senate members who were elected Sept. 21.
Senior Prakriti Panwar, editor in chief of The Ithacan, spoke to the council on how SGC and The Ithacan can work together to serve the community. Panwar explained the logistics of the paper and how SGC is reported on.
Senior Rishabh Sen, president of the student body, introduced the initiative incubator, the collaborative process the council uses to deliver on their initiatives. The council began using this process last academic year. The council first breaks into small groups to present their platform ideas, which are then brought before the council and narrowed down to a few initiatives, which the senators then work together to address.
Sen said these initiatives should align with three goals: student wellbeing, sustainability and transparency.
“Not just environmental sustainability and financial sustainability, but also social sustainability,” Sen said. “We are trying to make sure that every student knows you may not need us, but we are here for you.”
Sophomore Luis Antonio Toriche, the first-generation senator, presented the idea of increasing support for first-generation students. Toriche said that a stronger first-gen support system for first-year students was needed in the transition process. Toriche proposed placing first-gen students within an online community before they arrive on campus to increase awareness of resources and connect students.
“Before you get to Ithaca you will be sent a lot of resources for first-gen students. A lot of things you can participate in, but mainly support systems,” Toriche said. “Because the biggest problem with being a first-gen representative is that most issues that students face, they face before they even get here.”
The initiative was supported by Jaqueline Thompson, class of 2029 senator, who wanted independent students to also be connected to a better support system. Independent students are students who file for FAFSA independently of their parents. Thompson agreed with the outreach ideas proposed by Toriche for first-year independent students.
First-year student Margaret “Mega” Gem Martinez, international senator, said there are a lack of accessible prayer and meditation rooms on campus. This poses an obstacle to those looking to pray during the academic day. Martinez proposed an inclusion of designated prayer rooms within residence halls.
“[There’s] many people who don’t have time to go to Muller Chapel, and they want to find a place where they can pray,” Martinez said. “Can you imagine walking the way from Terraces all the way to Muller Chapel just to pray?”
Dining issues such as cross contamination for halal and kosher food were brought up by first-year student Ari Medvinsky, senator–at–large, and sophomore Jagrit Dhingra, Class of 2028 senator. Dhingra also raised the issue of limited vegetarian options. Dhingra proposed a feedback form that could give students more of a voice in food services.
Sophomore Amelia Grimshaw, School of Humanities and Sciences senator, presented the issue of low enrollment and engagement within the School of Humanities and Sciences. Grimshaw said an increase in better communication, advertisement and outreach could help.
After the presentation of ideas, Sen explained the different ways for how these initiatives could be delivered to the student body. Depending on what the initiative is, it could be a recommendation to the college, an event within the community or a piece of internal legislation in SGC.
The council again came together as groups to set outreach goals for their initiatives. These goals included reaching out to departments, staff and clubs to kick–start their ideas.
During senator reports, senior transfer senator Login Abudalla — who was absent from the meeting — reported working on making the transfer credit process more efficient. Additionally Abudalla is looking to aid transfer students with a seminar similar to what is provided to first-year students.
Junior Juno Brooks, vice president of business and finance, said he met with Tim Downs — senior vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer of IC — to discuss student employment. Brooks spoke to Downs regarding students getting their hours cut after budget changes and expects to hear more at a later time.
The council then reviewed three members for the Appropriations Committee: sophomore Manan Maini, Class of 2028 senator; junior Emmi Chen, varsity athlete senator; and Aditya Valecha, senator–at–large. They then began an executive session limited to only members of the council. All candidates were confirmed.
In its next meeting, SGC will host Elyse Nepa, Assistant Director of Clery Act and Prevention Education in the Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management, along with members from the Office of Public Safety to speak about campus safety.
The SGC is the sole representative body for the Ithaca College student community. The SGC meets from 7-9 p.m. every Monday in the Taughannock Falls room of the Campus Center. The SGC can be contacted at [email protected].
