OCT 3, 2024 | NEWS | By Margaret Freeman and Olivia Link
On the first Thursday of Block 2, the Colorado College Student Government Association (CCSGA) held its first meeting of the school year. This year, seven new representatives are joining CCSGA as well as numerous returning members. After short introductions and a team-building activity, the different committees broke out into groups to review their goals for the year and discuss upcoming special events.
The Internal Affairs committee wanted to revise the bylaws and make next year’s elections smoother for the candidates. They also plan to increase social media presence and awareness of CCSGA’s role in funding campus-wide events like Llamapalooza. The goal for this new social media campaign is to be more approachable and to allow everyone on campus to feel like they can readily interact with their representatives.
The Student Life committee is a catch-all for non-academic student support and events. They are responsible for finding gaps on campus and working to fill them. Members of Student Life mentioned that the Block Plan can be harsh on students and said they want to provide more opportunities to unwind and build community. Right now, that means increasing awareness and collaboration between existing student organizations.
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee’s main focus is to provide historically underrepresented groups with social connections and resources on campus. This Block, the DEI committee is hosting a $15 cook-off for students coming from low-income backgrounds on Monday, Oct. 7 and a Queer open mic night on Friday, Oct. 11. Both of these events are part of an ongoing series with the goal of providing support and celebration for communities year-round, and not just during their heritage months.
The Outreach committee is working to strengthen the relationship between CC students and the greater Colorado Springs community by creating ways for students to get off campus and building more external partnerships. One partnership is with Palmer High School and other schools in the area to educate possible new students of CC opportunities. The Outreach committee is also pushing to get students into the community through an Uber pilot program. With this program, a group of 60 students from underrepresented backgrounds (international students, students of financial aid, etc.) would get eight Uber rides over two Blocks. The rides would go farther than PikeRide and allow students to travel throughout the greater community. Another outreach event they are hosting is a vintage pop-up market with live music at Hybl from 1 to 3 p.m. on Friday Oct. 4.
The final committee is Finance who handles club budgets and special events funding. Their primary goal for the year is to increase transparency for students about where their tuition is going. The committee is working on creating pie charts that outline the budget and has expressed intent to make those available to The Catalyst shortly.
Additionally, the head of the Finance committee, Reign La France, introduced a vote to redistribute $40,000 previously set aside for the Wellness and Initiative Fund. Originally intended to support “anything wellness-related” according to La France, the lack of existing management and direction led $20,000 in funding to sit in each account untouched. The Finance committee proposed to dissolve both accounts in order to release the money for special events funding. While most agreed to releasing the funds, another proposal was presented to increase grants for affinity groups. After multiple people proposed uses for the $40,000, no vote was held and there will be more time to debate possible plans for the money at future CCSGA meetings.