February 29, 2024 | NEWS | By Taylor Lynch
Disclaimer: The author of this article is a CCSGA representative.
Have you heard about Colorado College’s Student Government Association (CCSGA) ? Based on recent Catalyst reporting, most students at Colorado College haven’t – and that might be considered a huge problem! The goal of this new column is to put to rest the days where some CC students know nothing about their student government or what it is doing by providing a weekly update on SGA’s progress, upcoming events and other important information.
First, let’s get down to the basics about the Colorado College Student Government Association (CCSGA). CCSGA is a delegation of elected student representatives, who determine the investment of CCSGA’s budget in distributing the student event funds, provide an intersection between administrative and student needs, and connect CC to the greater Colorado Springs community. CCSGA is broken up into five committees: Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ADEI); Internal Affairs; Finance; Outreach; and Student Life.
Committee Updates:
This section will focus on committee updates as presented by the Committee Vice Presidents, and the Student Body President during CCSGA full council meetings. This week’s updates pertain to the first CCSGA meeting of Block 6, which occurred on Thursday, Feb. 22.
The Finance Committee:
The finance committee has confirmed that menstrual products will soon be available in the female and gender-neutral bathrooms of The Big Three and Hybl, the proceeding step from the committee’s previous project of putting menstrual products at the front desks of residential buildings.
This week Finance is set to meet with Hillel to assess their budget for the 2024-2025 school year, as any club budget which surpasses $5,000 requires approval from the finance committee. The finance committee is responsible for approving fund allocation and distribution to all student organizations and special events.
ADEI:
ADEI is working alongside Student Body President Vicente Taijeron and Freshmen Representative Sophia Murphy, to plan next month’s Femme Fest, a Women’s History Month celebration. More information can be found below.
Additionally, ADEI is working to help fund an upcoming Passover event.
Vice President of ADEI, Alexandra Flores, resigned on Thursday evening, naming Mariolivia Jimenez as her interim replacement.
Student Life:
On Friday, Feb. 23, the Student Life Committee sent out email approvals to recipients of Passion Project grants, funding which students apply for to pursue projects within the Colorado College or Colorado Springs community. The distribution of these funds will occur shortly, and the applications for Passion Project grants will open again next fall.
Student Life is in communications with the financial aid department about a potential Gold Card money trading program, which would allow students to send and exchange funds amongst accounts. A financial logistics program would allow students to exchange funds (much like Venmo) although the program is not likely to be implemented soon, as it could potentially cause discrepancies in financial aid packages. However, Student Life is now pursuing a partner or coupon program for students who are not on full meal-plan or are at risk for depleting their funds. This tentative idea is still in its early stages.
Outreach:
On Wednesday, Feb. 21., The Outreach Committee held an Activism Workshop in the Worner Student Event Space. The evening brought InsideOut and Colorado People’s Coalition to campus, in an event which included presentations from the non-profits and a discussion between students and local organizers about community-based activism, drawing in more than thirty students.
Representatives from the Outreach committee met with Uber during the end of Block 5 in an ongoing effort to create a ride sharing pilot program which would grant some Colorado College students without car access a limited number of free rides per month. The program was initially pitched last year. If the program is approved, the selection of pilot program participants will be random but open for all students to apply.
Internal Affairs:
Internal Affairs is currently overseeing the ongoing election for Executive positions, which includes Student Body President and Vice President of each of the five committees.
Additionally, Internal Affairs hosts Table Talk on first Thursday’s from 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. on the first floor of Worner. Table Talk is a place where students can express their opinions to SGA representatives and learn more about what’s going on in SGA.
Presidential Updates:
Student government has long aimed to create a weekend shuttle service which would transport students to supermarkets such as Walmart and Trader Joes. Student Body President, Vicente Taijeron, confirmed on Thursday that this program will soon be up and running, given that CC approved student drivers are willing to volunteer. For this effort CCSGA is looking for volunteer drivers able to start the first Saturday of Block 7 who are available for a two-hour time commitment, from 12-2 p.m. Any inquires can be directed to v_taijeron@coloradocollege.edu.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
FEMME FESTE: A CCSGA sponsored celebration of Women’s History Month will be held next Friday, Mar. 8, from 4-7 p.m., in Gaylord Hall. Femme Fest will include food from a woman-owned business, live acapella, and a panel discussion with femme-identifying community members.
According to event organizer, Representative Sophia Murphy (CC ’27), “We created this event to celebrate all those who embrace femininity and want to include all those encompassing multiple gender identities including cis and trans womxn [SIC] and gender non-conforming individuals. Our goal of the panel is to highlight the voices of a diverse group of womxn [SIC] in our community considering celebrating intersectionality.”
CCSGA hosts public meetings at 5 p.m. on the first-third Thursday of every block in the Worner Student Event Space. To learn more about CCSGA, stop by one of these meetings or reach out to your representatives!