SGA Update

At the Student Government Association (SGA) meeting on Sunday, Jan. 20, SGA President Charlie Arnowitz ’13 started the meeting by announcing that break buses from this past winter break were profitable. The only buses that failed to make a profit were those that went to White Plains, N.Y.

Next the SGA discussed the steps taken by the Community Council to allow second-semester first-years to join social houses and first-semester sophomores to live in social houses. The Community Council is optimistic that the College will enact its resolution to allow second-semester first-years to join social houses, and on Monday, Jan. 21, the Community Council passed a second resolution that would allow first-semester sophomores to live in social houses.

A proposed bill called the “Decolonizing Middlebury College Bill,” was put in front of the Senate and then tabled. The sponsors of the bill are Student Co-Chair of Community Council Barrett Smith ’13 and Feb Senator Anna Shireman-Grabowski ’15.5. The bill states that Middlebury College is occupying land of the Abenaki tribe. It recommends that the College meet with Abenaki leaders and potentially cede land to the tribe.

Senior Senator Nathan Arnosti ’13 and Arnowitz have sponsored a bill titled “An Act to Establish a Student Liaison to the SGA on Endowment Affairs.” If the bill passes, the SGA would propose the creation of a student liaison on endowment affairs, or SLEA, to work directly with the board of trustees. While a formal vote will not take place until the next meeting, the Senate discussed the bill at length. The SGA determined that a five-person committee, made up of Arnowitz, Director of Membership Syndey Fuqua ’13 and three senators would choose this student liason. Concerns were raised that the position should be elected by the student body at large. In spite of some objections, a straw pole was conducted that saw the bill pass unanimously.