2023-11-14 SGA Senate Meeting Minutes

November 14, 2023
2:15 pm, Forum 3-130, Downtown Campus Room 200B, Zoom

In Attendance

Student Senators

  • Senator Mohamed Souhail
  • Senator Jemeah Scott
  • Senator Giomer Garcia-Maldonado
  • Senator Thomas Adams
  • Senator Ashley Wrobeh
  • Senator Loritea Ellis
  • Senator Alicia Crimmins
  • Senator Daniel Kalumbwe

Election Coordinator

  • Naz Barmak

Historian

  • Paula Balow

President

  • Joseph Leichtner

Vice President of Governance

  • Angelo Romero

Vice President of Downtown

  • Mandie McGinnis

Treasurer

  • Zeynep Guney

Chief of Staff

  • Ava Allen

Secretary of Governance

  • Ivy Zin

Secretary of Staff

  • Gavin Harrigan

Student Trustee

  • Ana Santos

Office of Student Life

  • Advisor: Jodi Oriel
  • Faculty Advisor: Mark Sample

Visitors

  • Dana Williams – MCC Student
  • McKenzie Rush – MCC Students
  • Ryan Messenger – MCC Assoc. VP
  • Campus One80 Students
  • HGHRP Students
  • Ginny Geer-Mentry – MCCA

Minutes

Call to Order (2:15 pm)

  1. Roll Call (see attendance above)
    Vice President of Governance Romero called for a roll call to start the senate meeting.
  2. Land Acknowledgement
  3. Approval of Minutes
    1. Vice President of Governance Romero called for a motion to approve the October 31, 2023, Student Government Association minutes.
    2. Senator Adams so moved, seconded by Senator Scott.
    3. A vote was taken.
    4. To be resolved, the Monroe Community College Student Government Association approves the October 31, 2023, minute as written.

Speak to the Senate

  1. Campus One80
    Members from Campus One80 shared the fall retreat recap video and their amazing experiences from the retreat. Campus One80 showed their gratitude to SGA for the opportunity and Campus One80 members welcomed everyone on campus for an extra retreat.

  2. Seja Jaber, MCC Student (HGHRP)

    MCC student, Seja Jaber discussed an event that may be coming up with the intention of spreading awareness about the situation happening with Israel and Palestine. She requested assistance from the Senate in order to hold a peaceful and public event on Wednesday, November 29th, 2023, to spread awareness on campus.

  3. Ryan Messenger, Associate Vice President of Student Development

    Associate Vice President of Student Development, Ryan Messenger introduced the Student Resource Guide which came up from the resources committee and has been redesigned by Dr. Amy Greer. There will be different tabs for different resources such as academics, food, housing, etc., for the benefit of MCC Students. The committee would like to get input on their ideas from SGA.

Reports

  1. President Leichtner

    On 11/13/23 President Leichtner sent correspondence to Deirdre Bartholomew of Sodexo regarding instituting a food transfer network at MCC.

  2. Vice President Romero

    On Tuesday, October 31st, Vice President Romero hosted the Halloween Costume contest where he would interview all the MCC Students dressed up in costumes. He thought it was a fun experience, and he hopes he can do it again. On November 1st, Vice President Romero will also attend the dessert social, where he will talk with other student leaders and listen to Dr.Burt-Nanna’s speech. On November 3rd, Vice President Romero, along with Vice President of Downtown McGinnis, Chief of Staff/ Peer Navigator Allen, Diversity Senator/Peer Navigator Scott, Election Coordinator Barmak, Resident Hall Senator Crimmins, Peer Navigator Kristi Morta, and Assistant Director of Admissions Matt Lawson with Arcadia Middle School Students to get to know MCC with Activities, a tour of the campus, and answer any questions they have about the school. On Thursday, November 9th, Vice President Romero attended the Kristallnacht Program, sponsored by the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Project. The Keynote speaker was Daniel Mendelsohn, and he spoke about his family’s past, how the Jewish population was targeted, and how book banning is having a massive impact on America today. I learned a few things through his speech, such as how it is essential to learn more about these topics and how we all need to learn this.

  3. Vice President of Downtown McGinnis

    On Wednesday, November 1st Vice President McGinnis along with many other student leaders attended the Leadership Desert Social. The social gave student leaders the opportunity to sit with President Dr. Burt-Nana and her leadership team ask them questions and share stories. Thank you, Sodexo, for the delicious treats. Meeting with Kim DeLardge, director of Academic and Student Affairs on Thursday, November 2nd. Vice President McGinnis provided her with an update from SGA (Student Government Association) and continued planning for the Downtown campus Open House on November 15th.  Downtown finished Spirt Week on Friday, also celebrating Fall Fiesta on November 1st. Thank you to the downtown campus student workers who supported all the events. Finishing the week by hosting Greece School Distract middle schoolers for an exciting morning of MCC fun and pride on Friday, November 3rd. Thank you to the Peer Navigators, fellow SGA members, and Mathew Lawson, assistant director of admissions for the great morning. The students shared how much they loved MCC and stated we have been their favorite visit by far. MCC welcomes you back and cannot wait for you to be a Tribune.

  4. Treasurer Guney

    Treasurer Guney has no reports for this week.

  5. Secretary of Governance Zin

    November 1st, 2023, Secretary of Governance Zin attended the dessert social events, and she had an opportunity to meet and communicate with college leaders. It was a wonderful conversation with President Dr. DeAnna Burt-Nanna and Vice President Gretchen Wood (MCC Foundation). Secretary of Governance Zin had a fun experience on November 3rd, 2023, she worked with the peer navigators and other SGA members for the middle schoolers visiting MCC and was involved in playing games and navigating around the school. She also showed the SGA office and other clubs and organizations and answered the questions from the students.

  6. Chief of Staff Allen

    On November 3rd, Chief of Staff, Vice President Romero, along with Vice President of Downtown McGinnis, Diversity Senator Scott, Election Coordinator Barmak, Resident Hall Senator Crimmins, and Peer Navigator Kristi Morta, gave a tour to Arcadia Middle School Students so they can get to know MCC with Activities, a tour of the campus, and answer any questions they have about MCC, and student life on campus

  7. Secretary of Staff Harrigan

    As the Secretary of Staff, Gavin Harrigan is now setting up and getting ready to take on his role and position as one of the members of SGA.

  8. Diversity Senator Scott

    On Wednesday, November 1st, Senator Scott attended the Open Interfaith Hour in Monroe AB facilitated by the head of Global Education and International Services Christina Lee. This event allowed the participants to make space for the global atrocities happening in current times and created a space where students and faculty could grieve and emote communally. The Open Interfaith Hour allowed Senator Scott valuable time to decompress while digesting the effect that current global atrocities have on the student body, larger culture, and her own well-being. Senator Scott urges the student body to take time for mental health while also engaging in educational resources that could spread awareness of current events. Throughout the week of November 1st to the week of November 10, Senator Scott participated in several tours of prospective students at the college. These tours allowed visiting middle schoolers, high schoolers, and adult learners to better understand the resources available to students on the MCC Campus. Interacting with new faces urged Senator Scott to continue to advocate for the student body and allowed her to give a positive representation of the college’s successes, future goals, and communal endeavors. Guiding smiling faces around campus shed light on the bright future to come for MCC students.

  9. Health & Wellness Senator Wrobeh

    Health and Wellness Senator Wrobeh has no reports for this week.

  10. Student Relations Senator Adams

    Student Relations Senator Adams has no reports for this week.

  11. Election Coordinator Barmak

    The election coordinator at Barmak, working alongside the Vice President, Mandie is leading a community outreach effort by creating a flyer for a hats and gloves donation drive ahead of winter. Their dedicated work aims to foster unity and support within the campus and surrounding neighborhoods. Additionally, the coordinator played a key role in helping in the organization of a Thanksgiving food giveaway, where food was distributed among MCC students. 

  12. Athletic Senator Souhail

    Athletic Senator Souhail has no reports for this week.

  13. Virtual Campus Senator Ellis

    On November 6, 2023, Virtual Senator Ellis met with the Future Downtown Campus Steering Committee to discuss further plans and updates about the Campus. Some of the topics discussed were what could attract more students to the downtown campus, how to provide transportation outside of public transportation that included getting the shuttle back, how online learning be better for students, how to make the Downtown campus stand out from the shadows of the Brighton Campus and so much more. Senator Ellis became the voice and advocate for the students of MCC relaying the concerns, goals, and support that could be given to those students. On November 7, 2023, Virtual Senator Ellis had a phone conference with Vice President of Downtown Mandie McGinnis. They conversed about diverse topics relating to the MCC, Senator Ellis’s adjustments, questions, and concerns that she may still have. Vice President McGinnis and Senator Ellis also talked about the upcoming meeting with DeLardge, Kimberly F who works in Enrollment Management that she will also be participating in, that takes place on November 16, 2023.

  14. Residence Hall Senator Crimmins

    On Wednesday, November 1st, Senator Crimmins attended the Dessert Social from 4-5 pm. Senator Crimmins had the opportunity to share a table with other MCC students from other clubs and the executive leader, in which issues about the Downtown campus were discussed. Later that week on November 3rd, Senator Crimmins volunteered to help with the 6th and 7th grade tours activity. Senator Crimmins worked with a peer navigator to show the kids around the campus and try to introduce them to ideas about college.

  15. Club and Organization Senator Garcia-Maldonado

    Club and Organization Senator Garcia-Maldonado has no reports for this week

  16. Club and Organization Senator Kalumbwe

    Club and Organization Senator Kalumbwe has no reports for this week.

New Business

    1. MCC Champion Award

      The MCC Champion Award was presented to Chloe Vazzana, Advisor at Student Life and Leadership Development in recognition of her kind-heartedness and caring to all the students and her hard work for the community.

Discussion Items

  1. There were no discussion items.

Old Business

  1. There was no old business.

Questions and Comments

  1. There were no questions or comments.

Adjournment

  1. Vice President Romero called for a motion for adjournment.
  2. Meeting was adjourned at 2:42 pm.

Executive Session

Respectfully submitted,
Ivy Zin
Secretary of Governance