2024-04-30 Student Government Association Senate Meeting Minutes

April 30, 2024
2:16 pm, Forum 3-130, Downtown Campus Room 200B, Zoom

In Attendance

Student Senators

  • Senator Mohamed Souhail
  • Senator Ashley Wrobeh
  • Senator Loritea Ellis
  • Senator Liam Krieger
  • Senator Tehya Deisenroth
  • Senator Ky’Johnna Jamison

Election Coordinator

  • Naz Barmak

President

  • Joseph Leichtner

Vice President of Governance

  • Angelo Romero

Vice President of Downtown

  • Mandie McGinnis

Treasurer

  • Zeynep Guney

Chief of Staff

  • Ivy Zin

Secretary of Governance

  • Alicia Crimmins

Student Trustee

  • Ana Santos

Office of Student Life

  • Advisor: Jodi Oriel
  • Faculty Advisor: Mark Sample

Visitors

  • Ginny Geer-Mentry – MCC Association
  • Dana Williams – MCC Student
  • Ryan Messenger – Academic & Student Affairs
  • Lea Kemp – Housing
  • Stella Smith – Housing
  • Rebecca Griffin – Hospitality
  • Shawn Sanchez – Veterans Club
  • Clare Boesel – MCC Student
  • Anna Deutscher – Housing
  • Jaylen Lopez – MCC Student
  • Tracy McKinney – MCC Student
  • Christina Lee – Global Education
  • Xavier Moreira
  • Summer Welch – Surgical Technology Club
  • Anna Tripani – Surgical Technology Club
  • Emily Kieisley – Surgical Technology Club
  • Ashly Paulino – Housing
  • Akirah Johnson – Housing

Minutes

Call to Order (2:16 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 April 23, 2024 Student Government Association minutes.
    2. Senator Souhail so moved, seconded by Senator Deisenroth
    3. A vote was taken.
    4. Be it resolved, the Monroe Community College Student Government Association approves the April 23, 2024 minutes as written.

Speak to the Senate

  1. Stella Smith – MCC Champion

  2. Rebecca Griffing – MCC Champion
  3. Christina Lee – MCC Champion

Reports

  1. President Leichtner

    President Leichtner has no report this week.

  2. Vice President Romero

    On Monday, April 22, Vice President of Governance Romero attended the last Finance Committee Meeting of the Academic Year with Treasurer Guney and Student Life Advisor Oriel. They would discuss the MCCA Budget and the Fiscal Year Quartley Financials. On Wednesday, April 24th, he attended a Student Ambassador Luncheon with everyone in student life right before Interim Associate Director/ Program Coordinator Chloe Allen went on maternity leave. They all had a great lunch, and he knows how cool everyone who works at Student Life is, and he is thankful to work with such amazing people. This same day, he attended the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month event involving Storytelling through an Asian American lens. This event was hosted by the International Services office and the Global Union Association, and it was a fantastic event. He attended this event with President Leichtner, Chief of Staff Zin, Treasurer Guney, Vice President of Downtown McGinnis, and Student Life Advisor Oriel. The dinner was great; he could talk with the Keynote Speakers, mainly about politics and the 2024 Presidential election. The panel of speakers was great, and he was able to get his book signed by Curtis Chen. On Thursday, April 25th, Vice President of Governance Romero attended the last MCC Association Board meeting, and after, they had a lovely celebration.

  3. Vice President of Downtown McGinnis

    Good afternoon, On Tuesday April 23rd Vice President McGinnis attended the TRIO Student Support Services celebration of achievement with keynote speaker Roger Mills providing an enthusiastic speech about overcoming barriers to reach your goals and be successful. Congratulations to all, we did it! Wednesday April 24th, Vice President McGinnis support at Disability Awareness Club’s Spread the Word: Inclusion event at the Brighton campus. This was a multi-club collaboration, with Scribe, E-Sport, Tabletop, Cabbage, and Kings clubs, PTK (Phi Theta Kappa), and Campus 180 supporting with tabling and or by providing information to share with students. Thank you to the MCC community for making this an incredibly successful event with it growing every year. The afternoon excitement continued with a celebration luncheon for Student Ambassadors hosted by the Office of Student Life and Leadership Development. Thank you for your support and encouragement always. Ending the day with an intimate dinner with visiting Asian American Storytellers, Lane Nishikawa, Curtis Chin, and Yi Chen and other student leaders including President Leichtner, Vice President Romero, and Chief of Staff Zin. Dinner discussions were friendly and inviting, sharing some of our story and ideas for the future. Following dinner, we were invited to the Storytelling Through an Asian American Lens panelist discuss. The guest panelist shared video clips of their highlighted work, sharing stories of being Asian American, the hate and racism they and other Asian Americans have and had faced, encouraging the audience to share their stories because that is how change happens. Thank you to Global Education and International Services and the Office of Student Life and Leadership Development for sponsoring such an engaging and thought-provoking evening. On Thursday April 25th attending the MCC Operation and Personal Committee shortly after also attending MCC Association Board meeting with President Leichtner, Vice President Romero, Secretary of Governance Crimmins, and Treasurer Guney. These were the last meetings of the academic year with items up for discussion and a year-end celebration reception. Thank you to the MCCA members for the past two years for your mentorship and encouragement along my journey here at MCC. Your contributions have had an incredible impact on my success, thank you.

  4. Treasurer Guney

    Good afternoon, On Monday, April 22nd Treasurer Guney, Vice-President Romero, and Office of Student Life Advisor Oriel attended the MCC Association Finance Committee Meeting. The agenda included a review of the 2023-2024 Third Quarter Financials and the Final Presentation of the 2024-2025 Budget. On Tuesday, April 23rd Treasurer Guney and Vice-President of Downtown McGinnis participated in the TRIO SSS Motivational Speaker Event featuring Mills Redgers. On Wednesday April 24th Treasurer Guney attended the Inclusion Event held in the Atrium by the Disability Club, engaging in various activities and enjoying games and prizes. Also, on Wednesday Treasurer Guney, President Leichtner, Vice-President Romero, Vice-President of Downtown McGinnis, Chief of Staff Zin, and Office of Student Life Advisor Oriel attended the Storytelling Through An Asian American Lens Event. The event featured Lane Nishikawa, Curtis Chin, and Yi Chen discussing the significance of representation in acting, writing, and documentary filmmaking. On Thursday, April 25th Treasurer Guney, President Leithner, Vice-President Romero, Vice-President of Downtown McGinnis, Secretary of Governance Crimmins, and Office of Student Life Advisor Oriel attended the MCC Association Board Meeting. Topics included the review of the budget and discussion on the student life fee. Throughout the week, Treasurer Guney drafted a resolution for the Surgical Technology Club’s travel fund request. Thank you.

  5. Secretary of Governance Crimmins

    On Thursday, April 25th, Secretary of Governance Crimmins along with Vice President of Downtown McGinnis and President Leichtner attended the MCCA Operations and Personnel committee meeting and was later joined by Treasurer Guney, Vice President of Governance Romero and Advisor Jodi Oriel
    for the MCCA Board Meeting. Yesterday, on Monday the 29th, Crimmins attended the Meet the Candidates event. Thank you.

  6. Chief of Staff Zin

    This past week, on April 24th, Wednesday, Chief of Staff Zin attended the dinner for celebrating Asian American Pacific Heritage Month with President Leichtner, Vice President of Governance Romero, Vice President Downtown McGinnis. It was great talking with the panelists, Lane Nishikawa, Curtis Chin, and Yi Chen. Thank you, Professor Lee, for inviting SGA. After dinner, Chief of Staff Zin attended the Storytelling through an Asian American Lens with President Leichtner, Vice President of Governance Romero, Vice President of Downtown Campus McGinnis, and Treasurer Guney. It was pretty interesting listening to Lane Nishikawa, Curtis Chin, and Yi Chen’s talk about documentary film making and writing. Chief of Staff Zin got the book “Everything I learned, I learned in the Chinese Restaurant” by writer Curtis Chin’s and he also signed the book. She appreciates hearing from all the speakers and she learned a lot from the event.

  7. Health & Wellness Senator Wrobeh

    This past week Senator Wrobeh drafted a resolution a for a funding request.

  8. Election Coordinator Barmak

    This past week, the elections coordinator, Naz, attended the election meet. It was a fantastic event. They got to meet the candidates and spread the news of the campaigning week. Also they spread the word about the voting form which is going to be happening next Monday.

  9. Athletic Senator Souhail

    Athletic Senator Souhail has no report this week.

  10. Virtual Campus Senator Ellis

    On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. Senator Ellis attended an inspiring speaker event celebrating the end of the semester and honoring our graduating TRIO students at the Brighton Campus. There, Senator Ellis met with two of her peers from the SGA. Vice President Mandie McGinnis, and Treasurer Zeynep Guney. Senator Ellis enjoyed watching her peers get the recognition that they have worked for. It was also great just to see all the others who have been doing great in the Trio Program as well. On Saturday, April 27, 2024, at 3:30 pm. Senator Ellis attended the 26th Annual Gold Star Gala presented by M&T Bank. Senator Ellis also met with fellow SGA peer President Joseph Leichtner, and Student Trustee Ana Santos. Senator Ellis had a wonderful time and enjoyed networking. Senator Ellis helped with decor settings, clean up, auction, and so much more. Senator Ellis felt great being able to witness how MCC is doing all that it can to help the students flourish. It was a wonderful experience that by the
    end of the night Senator Ellis was walking like a penguin from all the moving around. Senator Ellis is thankful for all those who made it possible for her to be there at that event. MCC Foundation staff has helped Senator Ellis in many ways. Senator Ellis is thankful for all those who keep opening doors for her to walk in and be apart.

  11. Veterans Senator Krieger
    Greetings, everyone! I trust you all had a fantastic weekend. Last Wednesday, I had the privilege of attending the Bridge the Gap event, where I had the pleasure of hearing Sean, the President of the Veterans Club, deliver a profoundly moving speech. Sean spoke passionately about the importance of mental health awareness within the veteran community, highlighting the invaluable insights provided by licensed professionals. Their diverse perspectives illuminated the various challenges that veterans face, particularly during their transition into the academic realm. It was truly inspiring to witness such dedication, and I eagerly anticipate the positive impact that this group will continue to make in the years ahead. Furthermore, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on my own journey within the student government this semester. While the organization itself has remained steadfast, I must admit that my performance has been rather erratic. Despite this, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be part of a team that has shown immense patience and support throughout our shared adversities. I am deeply proud of each and every one of you for the individuals you are becoming and the strides you are making towards your future endeavors. It feels like just yesterday that Angelo Remaro and I embarked on this journey in student government. Now, as many of our colleagues prepare to graduate and move on to greater things, I am filled with a sense of optimism for the new chapter that lies ahead. Dedication in the face of adversity is what truly defines us, and I am hopeful to witness even more exciting developments in the future.
  12. Clubs and Organizations Senator Deisenroth
    Clubs and Organizations Senator Deisenroth has no report this week.
  13. Public Relations Senator Jamison
    Public Relations Senator Jamison has no report this week.

New Business

  1. Action Items (requires a senate vote)
    1. Resolution for the Funding Request of $3,000 for Black Student Union.

      Resolved, the Monroe Community College Association approved the funding request of $3,000 for BSU.
      Vice President of Governance Romero called for a motion to approve the resolution.
      Senator Souhail so moved, second by Senator Krieger.
      Discussion: The said funding request was supported by the Student Government Association and Office of Student Life and Leadership.
      A vote was taken. The resolution passed.
      Be it resolved, the senate present and voting that the Student Government Association support the funding request of $3,000 for BSU at Monroe Community College.

    2. Resolution for the Travel Funding Request of $3,620 for Surgical Technology.
      Resolved, the Monroe Community College Student Government Association supports the travel funding request of $3,620 for Surgical Technology.
      Vice President of Governance Romero called for a motion to approve the resolution.
      Senator Souhail so moved, second by Senator Krieger.
      Discussion: The said funding request was supported by the Student Government Association and Office of Student Life and Leadership.
      A vote was taken. The resolution passed.
      Be it resolved, the senate present and voting that the Student Government Association support the travel funding request of $3,620 for Surgical Technology at Monroe Community College.

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 of Governance Romero called for a motion for adjournment.

    Senator Souhail so moved, second by Senator Deisenroth
  2. Meeting was adjourned at 2:45 pm.

Executive Session

Respectfully submitted,
Alicia Crimmins
Secretary of Governance