Below is an update on the initiatives, both proposed and passed, of the Student Government Association (SGA). Senate meetings run from 7-8:30 p.m. on Sundays in Axinn 220 and are open to the public.
10 O’Clock Ross
After months of planning with Dining Services, the SGA Senate has finalized and passed the 10 O’Clock Ross bill. The long-awaited return of this late night dining option will go into effect on April , the first day of classes after the spring break. The pilot program will operate on Monday and Tuesday nights from 10-11 p.m. in the Ross Fireplace Commons. Student monitors will be employed to oversee the program. Depending on the success of the pilot, 10 O’Clock Ross may expand to another weekday later in the semester and continue next Fall.
Club Coltrane
In response to complaints that there is not enough alcohol-free, nighttime programing, the Social Affairs committee is working to create events and spaces for nighttime activities on the weekends and on weekdays. Senator Masud Lewis ’22 has been working to form the Middlebury College After Dark Programming Board, a group that will work with different student groups and locations on campus, such as Coltrane lounge, to plan events.
Reusable To-Go Cups
The Environmental Affairs Committee is working with Dining Services to introduce a reusable to-go cup system in the dining halls. The committee, which presented at the March 10 Senate meeting, is looking to build a pilot program this spring involving a handful of students with the goal of implementing the program campus-wide in the fall. The pilot program will look into a variety of questions such as whether it would be easier for Dining Services to use a carabiner-like system, similar to the to-go boxes, or if providing one reusable cup to each student that they would be responsible for would be simpler.
Faculty/Staff Student Tables
Sophomore senator Eun Ho Lee ’21 has been working to implement his program to bring students, faculty, and staff together for meals. One of the barriers Lee has faced is that faculty and staff do not have free access to dining halls. This has prompted larger discussion within the Senate and may change in order to support this program and other forums for student and faculty/staff interaction.
Financial Literacy
Senior senator Alexis Levato ’19 is working to expand opportunities for students to engage with financial literacy tools and workshops. After receiving responses from a campus wide survey, Levato is working with several offices on campus to provide resources and information on topics like personal finance, loan repayment, budgeting and others.
Feedback Form
John Schurer ’21, the Senate speaker and a sophomore Senator, has revamped the way that students can reach out to SGA with feedback and comments. The new form is available at go/heySGA.
Porter Bowman ’21.5 is the Senior Opinions Editor.
He previously served as the Correspondent to the Student Government Association (SGA) and a Staff Writer for the News and Local sections.
Bowman is pursuing an International Politics and Economics major and a History minor.
During the summer of 2020, Bowman started a podcast called “Why Not U.S.?” where he interviewed young people in their 20s serving in political office across the country.
He also worked as a producer and researcher for “Trickeration,” an investigative sports podcast from iHeartMedia hosted by Campus alum Matt Waxman ’01.5.
When not watching the West Wing or finishing crossword puzzles, Bowman plays on the Middlebury varsity golf team alongside basketball, club tennis, and intramural volleyball.
He lost on Teen Jeopardy! in November 2016.
