Chatham Student Government met on March 14, 21 and 28 to discuss the legality of CSG public statements and Executive Directives, potential updates to their Constitution, class project development and final questions from Town Hall, among other things. Included below are the highlights from the meetings this past March.
New Legislation:
- CSG.Bill-SP2024-02 — A Bill To ensure Senate support of public statements and to expound upon the use of Executive Directives: CSG members voted 10 to 2 in favor of adopting CSG.Bill-SP2024-02 on March 21. The bill proposed by Class 2025 Representative Anna Betar, Class 2026 Treasurer Madison Butina, Class 2027 Representative Connor Domke, Class 2026 President Morgan Rapsky, Class 2027 President Dom Randall, Class 2026 Secretary Jonah Schiffgens-Smith, Class 2025 Vice President Madison Smith and Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Madison Stokes ‘26 to ensure that the entire Senate has input on public statements and to clearly outline the powers that the Executive Board has when issuing Executive Directives. The Bill came as a response to the Executive Board issuing an emergency press release without the consent of the rest of the Senate.
- Executive President Jackson Adkins ‘25 issued a presidential veto of CSG.Bill-SP2024-02. Though he could not be present at the meeting, Executive Vice President Aidan Bobik ‘24 spoke on his behalf and announced the veto during the March 28 meeting. Bobik stated five main objections that led to the veto, the most notable being the bill would violate the separation of power between the branches of CSG, create voting inconsistencies between resolutions and proclamations and public communications and prevent members of CSG from talking with members of the Communiqué.
- CSG.Special-SP2024-01 — Special Legislation Proposing an amendment to the Constitution to establish provisions for a Constitutional Convention: CSG adopted CSG.Special-SP2024-01 on March 21. Bobik and Smith proposed this special legislation to amend the CSG Constitution to allow for a Constitutional Convention to be held next academic year. Calling a Constitutional Convention would allow a group of nine individuals to change and update the current Constitution. In order to take effect, the student body must vote on whether or not to allow a Constitutional Convention and a majority of those voting must be in favor of it.
- CSG.Resolution-SP2024-03 — A Resolution Urging the University to Prohibit the Assignment of Work Over Breaks: Proposed by Rapsky, Vice President of Student Finance Gabrielle Slovikosky ‘26, Schiffgens-Smith, Vice President of Student Communications Jada Jenkins ‘26 and Stokes, CSG passed CSG.Resolution-SP2024-03 to urge the University administration to promote student welfare by prohibiting faculty from assigning work to students over breaks during the March 14 meeting.
Proclamations:
- CSG.Proclamation-SP2024-02 — A Proclamation Recognizing the Chatham Coffeehouse Committee: CSG presented the Chatham Coffeehouse with a proclamation to recognize their contributions to student life and the culture of Chatham on March 14. The proclamation, which passed on Feb. 29, acknowledged the Coffeehouse Committee’s effort to revitalize the historic space of Rea Coffeehouse, provide a musical outlet for students on campus and work to bridge the athlete-non-athlete divide.
- CSG.Proclamation-SP2024-03 — A Proclamation Recognizing the Chatham Cheerleading & Dance Program: CSG presented the Chatham Cheerleading & Dance Program with a proclamation recognizing their work to quickly expand in size and performance despite institutional setbacks. The proclamation was passed on March 14 and was presented on March 28.
Class Projects:
- Class of 2024: The class of 2024 plans to revamp the stickers covering the light switches. Their class gift will be increasing the number of charging stations on campus.
- Class of 2025: The class of 2025 installed a sign to highlight the art installation, Altars and Shrines, located on the side of Lindsay House.
- Class of 2026: The class of 2026 plans to develop an app in collaboration with the Development Club to increase food security and reduce food waste by letting students post and communicate about leftover food from events or free food on campus.
- Class of 2027: The class of 2027 plans to clean up the labyrinth outside of Berry Hall during the larger CSG clean-up day.
Ad Hoc Committee Updates:
- Reform Committee: The Ad-hoc Reform Committee published two reports on recommendations to change CSG’s structure, policies and procedures. In the first report, they evaluated the problems that currently exist with CSG and concluded that these problems could be resolved through altering the constitutional structure of CSG. In the second report, they recommended a Constitutional Convention be held during the Fall 2024 semester and provided recommendations as to what should be modified or changed.
- Election Committee: Melissa Redding ‘24 was elected as the Chair of the Election Committee. The Election Committee oversees the election for the following academic year. Campaigning will be held April 1 through April 7. Voting will begin at 12:05 a.m. on April 8 and close at 11:55 p.m. on April 10.
Additional Questions from Town Hall:
- What is the University doing to fix hazards such as black mold and unsafe stairwells? Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs Dean Purcell stated that there is a difference between black mold and mildew, but said that as long as the student submits a work order, they will look at anything. He also said that they looked at the Chung stairwell and felt that the recent repairs were not well done. He recommended students put in more work orders so that facilities knows about the issues.
- Are there any updates on the School of Health Sciences at Eastside being sold? Dean Purcell responded that the University is still open to all possibilities, but the University will not enter into a sale that would not let Chatham stay on the property for at least the next 10 years. There are no plans to get rid of the graduate programs in the building. If a final sale is made, the University will make a formal announcement.
If students are interested in getting involved with CSG, they can attend an in-person meeting in the Conover Room in the Mellon Board Room on Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Students can also visit the CSG website to learn more about the organization.
