OCT 10, 2024 | NEWS | By Margaret Freeman and Olivia Link
Part of the Colorado College Student Government Association’s responsibilities include managing and distributing school funding. Last week, they heard funding request proposals from two Colorado College organizations: the Colorado College Injustice Watch and the Disability Alliance. Both requests were presented to CCSGA before representatives deliberated and voted on whether to grant the organizations the money they requested.
The Injustice Watch (IJW) is a student organization that promotes honesty and accountability in the local Colorado Springs judicial system. One of their crucial initiatives includes the 2024 Judicial Report Card to evaluate the performance of judges up for retention this fall.
There is currently little publicly available knowledge about the 15 judges on the ballot.
IJW has been collaborating with the Citizens Project to address this information gap, sending student court watchers to observe these judges over the last two years. These court watchers take note of the judge’s demeanor, patience and clarity, and potential racial or ethnic bias.
IJW has collected over 150 courtroom observations to be compiled into the report card, which they plan to publish in the Colorado Springs Independent. To fund its publication, IJW requested $4,000 for printing a two-page spread, plus an additional $1,000 for printing overrun copies: these are individual copies featuring just the report card that will be distributed in underrepresented communities who may not have access to the Colorado Springs Indy. The guide will also be published on the Citizen Project’s website alongside the organization’s existing Legislative Report Card. CCSGA unanimously voted in favor of the $5,000 grant.
The Disability Alliance advocates for CC students with disabilities through social events and speakers. They came to CCSGA requesting $5,500 to have comedian and disability advocate Pam Schuller to CC’s campus. Schuller is a comedian with Tourettes Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder who does stand-up comedy about her disability and mental health. She would do a comedy bit followed by a workshop with the students, focusing on educating them about disabilities. This event would be held in collaboration with the Theatre Workshop, TWIT, and Accessibility resources. The Disability Alliance would provide food for the event which would take place in February. The $5,500 requested would go towards travel and accommodations for Schuller and her performance. The CCSGA members voted in favor of the funding request.