2024-09-17 SGA Senate Meeting Minutes

September 17, 2024
2:17 pm, Forum 3-130, Downtown Campus Room 200B, Zoom

In Attendance

Student Senators

  • Senator Elisabeth Small
  • Senator Ashley Wrobeh
  • Senator Billy Simba
  • Senator Shawn Sanchez
  • Senator Elizabeth Cole

President

  • Angelo Romero

Vice President of Governance

  • Alicia Crimmins

Vice President of Downtown

  • Loritea Ellis

Treasurer

  • Esma Demir

Chief of Staff

  • Liam Krieger

Secretary of Governance

  • Tehya Deisenroth

Student Trustee

  • Joseph Leichtner

Historian

  • Nick Tran

Office of Student Life

  • Advisor: Jodi Oriel
  • Faculty Advisor: Mark Sample


Visitors

  • Ginny Geer-Mentry – MCC Association
  • Ryan Messenger – Student Affairs

Minutes

Call to Order (2:17 pm)

  1. Roll Call (see attendance above)
    Vice President of Governance Crimmins called for a roll call to start the senate meeting.
  2. Land Acknowledgement
  3. Approval of Minutes
    1. Vice President of Governance Crimmins called for a motion to approve the September 10, 2024 Student Government Association minutes.
    2. Senator Small so moved, seconded by Senator Sanchez
    3. A vote was taken.
    4. Be it resolved, the Monroe Community College Student Government Association approves the September 10, 2024 minutes as written.

Speak to the Senate

No one spoke to the senate

Reports

  1. President Romero

    From September 6th to September 8th, President Romero attended the 2024 September Leadership Conference in Albany, New York, with a few members of the SGA. The SUNY Student Assembly hosted this event, and the message revolved around Civic Engagement. This event had incredible speakers, and one of MCC’s faculty members, Professor Joseph Scanlon, did a workshop on Deliberate dialogues and how to have civil conversations. This workshop will help SGA prepare for the SUNY Wide event today at 4:00, which will revolve around deliberate dialogues. One thing President Romero learned at the conference was how to make voter registration more accessible, especially when it comes to voting. Mail-in voting is one of the ways those who can’t come in person can vote. Overall, this conference was a fantastic experience, and he was glad to get to know people better. On September 9th, President Romero attended a lunch with Health and Wellness Senator Wrobeh, MCC Foundation, Donors, and President Dr. Burt-Nanna. They talked about how MCC changed their lives and how scholarships impacted them. They had a wonderful lunch and discussion, and he got to know Senator Wrobeh better. On September 10th, President Romero and other members of SGA helped host the Presidential Debate Watch Party, where Students, Faculty, and Staff watched the Debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. At the end of the debate, he conducted a small discussion to see what everyone thought of the debate and the candidates and if anyone had changed their opinion. He can’t wait to do another event like this and see if anyone’s views will change by then. On September 11th, SGA hosted the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony to remember those who were lost and impacted by the tragic events. He wants to start by thanking everyone in SGA for helping with this event. Everybody played a role in this event, whether through the 9/11 committee or having a role in the actual event. All of you did amazing, and because of everyone, we had a great ceremony this year. Special thanks to Eric Wheeler for speaking at the ceremony to remember the lives lost in the war on terror, President Dr Burt Nanna, Mayor Malik Evans, and Marc Maddalina, who helped build the monument when it was first built. It was a beautiful ceremony, and he was happy to have been part of it. This same day, President Romero helped with the Student Life fair on the Brighton Campus, which aimed to introduce Studnet Life to students. He did some tabling for SGA, trying to introduce Students to SGA, find recruits, and answer any questions. He would also introduce Students to other clubs and organizations that were tabling to help get students involved in them. It was a wonderful event, and seeing the huge turnout it received was amazing. Lastly, Like all of the Student Leaders, he attended the Student Leader training on Saturday, September 14th. He would be re-trained on the rules, procedures, and other resources. He helped go over the role of SGA to all of the student leaders so they would better understand how SGA works and how they can help. At the end of the training, all Student Leaders went to Laser Tron for team bonding activities. The SGA team would win at Laser tag, and it was overall fun. Huge thanks to everyone in the office of Student Life for planning and implementing this training and for the team bonding activity.

  2. Vice President of Governance Crimmins

    Starting off strong, on the 6th through the 8th of September, Vice President of Governance Crimmins along with other SGA members, attended the SUNY SA Conference in Albany, NY. This Conference consisted of many break-out sessions and motivational speakers revolving around the topics of leadership, hardship, voting, and ‘doing’ rather than ‘thinking about doing’. Vice President Crimmins really enjoyed this conference as she felt she bonded with her fellow new SGA members and became inspired by speaker [name]. [name] explained in great depth the vast amount of accomplishments he has done, and helped others do, regardless of obstacles. The transformations of him along with the people he has lead, motivated her to continue her leadership role, and reminded her that she still has her whole life ahead of her to accomplish her personal and career goals. Afterwards, Vice President Crimmins continued tabling for TurboVote last Monday, and the Student Life fair on Wednesday. Last Wednesday was the 9/11 ceremony in which she and Student Relations Senator Simba had the honor and privilege of carrying the flower wreath to the monument. It was a beautiful, and heartfelt remembrance ceremony and she’s sure anyone who attended, would agree. As for other SGA activities Vice President Crimmins has been working on include continuing Peace Committee meetings and her office hours are Mondays 4-6pm and Wednesdays 4-5pm. Thank you.

  3. Vice President of Downtown Ellis

    On September 9th, VP of Downtown Campus Ellis met with Mary Geister to discuss events for the students on the Downtown Campus at 10:30 am. Later that day at 12:00-1:00 pm VP of the Downtown Campus set up a table for Turbo Tax. She was able to help students get information, register, and talk about interest in clubs’ activities on the 2nd floor of the campus. Afterwards VP of Downtown Campus had a photoshoot with MCC Foundation. There she met Matt Whittmey, Sarah Calandra, and Karen Shaw at 1:30 pm on the 6th floor of the campus. VP had a wonderful time having her photo taken as a student leader striving to have a higher education. On September 10th, VP of Downtown Campus met with her peers in SGA to go over the rehearsals of the 911 on the Brighton Campus. It was a wonderful experience to see and know all the challenging work that was put into making this event a success. On September 12th, VP of the Downtown Campus attended a virtual interview for a new highly recommended student leader Neenee Curry at 1:00 pm. She worked alongside her peers President Angelo, Chief of Staff Liam, and Jodi from student life and leadership. VP Ellis feels that the interview with great and is looking forward to having a Downtown Senator.

  4. Treasurer Demir

    The Treasurer of Student Government of MCC Esma Demir had a “fun club” meeting this past week with Elizabeth …. They Changed the Fun Club name from Fun club to Club connect made and talked about some ideas to make the meetings more engaging. Esma attended the SUNY ALBANY trip on Sep 6th till 8th.

  5. Secretary of Governance Deisenroth

    On Wednesday, September 11th, Secretary Deisenroth helped with the 9/11 ceremony. She read a poem called “A Touch in the Wind”, and overall, the event was successful and very heartfelt. On that same Wednesday, Secretary Deisenroth, along with President Romero, Vice President Crimmins, Senator Cole and Senator Sanchez, tabled for the Student Life Fair, and they got lots of signatures! On September 10th, Secretary Deisenroth attended the debate watch party and it was very…. Interesting. About 40 people showed up and it was also very successful. She has also been in contact with the presidents of the YDSA and the Holocaust and Genocide Project to collaborate with them regarding events held by the Peace Committee. Secretary Deisenroth has been brainstorming events for the Peace Committee and she’s looking forward to the events in the future. She also attended the leadership training last Saturday along with all other student leaders and it was a lot of fun! We talked about things such as what SGA does and who Title IX is, and it was very informative. I am excited to work with all the student leaders this year. Thank you.

  6. Chief of Staff Krieger

    Chief of Staff Krieger tabled and recruited new members during the Brighton campus event. Assisted Angelo Romero with recruitment efforts. Wednesday, September 11th he attended and helped set up the 9/11 ceremony, where he assisted in opening the presentation of colors with Eric Wheeler and Shawn Schencaze. Additionally, Chief of Staff Krieger tabled at the downtown campus, engaging with potential applicants and increasing SGA recruitment by 20% for the first quarter. Their goal is to reach full recruitment by November. He also had the pleasure of interviewing Neenee for the position of Downtown Senator, with the assistance of Majestic Angelo Romero and Jodi Oriel. The interview went well, with the applicant demonstrating significant enthusiasm and energy. Friday, September 13th The SGA met with YDSA to discuss the possibility of recharting their organization. The conversation was respectful and constructive. Saturday, September 14th Chief of Staff Krieger sent out a Google Form for the formation of the CELC club, which will meet [insert time here]. Our first major project will be promoting the 5k run, leveraging social media. I have also scheduled a meeting with our social media team to brainstorm ideas for spreading the word.

  7. Historian Tran

    Historian Tran had tabled for the TurboVote from 12-1. Historian Tran has also participated in the 9/11 ceremony and took many photos during the event.

  8. Health & Wellness Senator Wrobeh

    Health and Wellness Senator Wrobeh has no report this week.

  9. Veterans Senator Sanchez

    This past week Veteran Senator Sanchez participated in the 9/11 ceremony with the rest of the SGA team where we had an amazing turnout and put together a wonderful ceremony. Also on 9/11 VS Sanchez took part in tabling at the student life fair with VP Crimmins and Secretary Deisenroth the three of them answered question and got quite a few students interested in joining the SGA. On Thursday September 12th VS Sanchez sat in on the Veterans club meeting and helped answer a few questions to guide them in the right direction. On Saturday the 14th VS Sanchez attended the student leader training with the rest of the SGA team and other student leaders and had a good time at lasertron for the team building portion.

  10. Student Relations Senator Simba

    Senator Simba is pleased to report that the Fall semester has begun smoothly, with classes commencing without any major issues. Students and faculty alike seem to be settling into the academic routine, and the campus is abuzz with activity. The Senator has been actively researching potential Democratic candidates to invite as guest speakers during this election year. It is crucial that we provide our student body with opportunities to engage with political leaders and learn about their platforms. Additionally, the Student Relations Senator Simba together with others had attended the SUNY Student Leadership Conference in Albany, where they had the chance to network with student leaders from across the state. It was particularly insightful to learn about how different schools structure their student governments. This knowledge will be invaluable as the Student Government continues to refine its own operations and ensure that it is effectively representing the interests of the student body. He is also planning for the snack and chat and also is also in the Peace committee that is planning the October 7th event. He is pleased with how the 9/11 Ceremony went and excited and motivated for future plans and events.

  11. Diversity Senator Small

    On Wednesday, September 11th, Elisabeth Small aided in the 9/11 Ceremony along with fellow SGA members. The same day, Elisabeth tabled the Student Life Fair promoting SGA and TurboVote registration. Additionally that day, Elisabeth met with Treasurer Demir for Club Connect, formerly known as the Fun Club, to discuss ways to improve the engagement and enjoyment of the club and organization monthly meetings. On Friday, September 13th, Elisabeth joined representatives from the University of Rochester and SUNY Brockport at the Memorial Art Gallery to discuss the first annual free college night at the Memorial Art Gallery. Elisabeth was able to receive a guided tour of the gallery, its conference rooms, party spaces, and workshops before attending the focus group for the event. Elisabeth will continue to work with the Memorial Art Gallery and local colleges and universities to create joint and engaging events. On Saturday, September 14th, Elisabeth attended the Student Leader Training with a round win in axe throwing.

  12. Student Trustee Leichtner

    Joseph Leichtner started as the Student Trustee for Monroe Community College (MCC) by officially being sworn in on July 11th, 2024. On this day, Joseph also attended a comprehensive orientation and underwent specialized training to prepare him for his responsibilities in this new role. During the orientation, Joseph gained valuable insights into the duties and expectations of being the Student Trustee, a role he is enthusiastic about taking on. This orientation was crucial in equipping him with the knowledge needed to represent the student body effectively. Additionally, Joseph had his official Board of Trustees photo taken to commemorate the occasion. On August 5th, 2024, Joseph Leichtner had his first experience as an official board member during a tour of the Brighton campus, followed by his first Board of Trustees meeting. The campus tour gave Joseph a close look at some of the most notable programs at MCC, particularly the renowned optics program, which recently received a significant grant. Key topics discussed at the Board Meeting included an audit of the college’s finances and the nomination process for board officers. Furthermore, DeAnna R. Burt-Nanna, the College President, was recognized for her exemplary leadership and contributions to the college. Joseph Leichtner continued his preparation for the academic year by attending the Student Life & Leadership Development Training on September 14th, 2024. The theme of this event was “planting the seeds of success”. The training provided him with further tools and strategies to support and guide his peers. Additionally, Joseph participated in a Lasertron activity that was not just a fun break, but also a great opportunity to bond with his peers. He particularly enjoyed the friendly competition, especially when he managed to eliminate President Romero numerous times. Overall, the training was insightful, motivational, and a lot of fun. In addition to his role as Student Trustee, Joseph Leichtner has been actively contributing to Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) as Vice President of College Projects. Throughout the summer, Joseph and his team attended numerous meetings, working closely with MCC’s administration to advance their ongoing project. Weekly meetings continue into the fall, where Joseph and his fellow PTK members are collaborating on the next steps of their initiative. Joseph has expressed deep appreciation for the support provided by critical administrators, including Dr. Michael Jacobs and Dr. Ryan Messenger, whose guidance has been instrumental in helping the team reach its project goals.

New Business

  1. Action Items (requires a senate vote)
    1. Resolution to Appoint NeeNee Curry as Downtown Campus Senator

      Resolved, The Monroe Community College Student Government Association approved the appointment of NeeNee Curry as Downtown Campus Senator.
      Vice President of Governance Crimmins called for a motion to approve the resolution. Senator Simba so moved, second by Senator Cole.
      Discussion: NeeNee Curry completed and met the standards of 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 approve the appointment of NeeNee Curry to become Downtown Campus Senator effective September 17th, 2024, 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 Crimmins called for a motion for adjournment.

    Senator Wrobeh so moved, second by Senator Small
  2. Meeting was adjourned at 2:47 pm.

Executive Session

Respectfully submitted,
Tehya Deisenroth
Secretary of Governance