2025-04-08 SGA Senate Meeting Minutes

April 8, 2025

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

In Attendance

Student Senators

  • Senator Elisabeth Small
  • Senator Ashley Wrobeh
  • Senator Billy Simba
  • Senator Margherita Rizzuti
  • Senator Jalisia Burno

President

  • Angelo Romero

Vice President of Governance

  • Lizzy Cole

Vice President of Downtown

  • Loritea Ellis

Treasurer

  • Esma Demir

Secretary of Governance

  • Hajer Enaami

Student Trustee

  • Joseph Leichtner

Chief of Staff

  • Hamzah Al Ani

Secretary of Staff

  • Madison DePoty

Office of Student Life

  • Advisor: Jodi Oriel
  • Faculty Advisor: Mark Sample

Visitors

  • Dana Williams – MCC Student
  • Ryan Messenger – Academic Student Affairs
  • Ginny Geer-Mentry – MCCA
  • Jacob Lenahan – Pride Alliance
  • Renee Battle – Financial Aid/Tabletop Club Advisor

Minutes

Call to Order (2:17 pm)

  1. Roll Call (see attendance above)
    Vice President of Governance Cole called for a roll call to start the senate meeting.
  2. Land Acknowledgement
  3. Approval of Minutes
    1. Vice President of Governance Cole called for a motion to approve the April 1, 2025, Student Government Association minutes.
    2. Senator Small so moved, seconded by Senator Simba
    3. A vote was taken.
    4. Be it resolved, the Monroe Community College Student Government Association approves the April 1, 2025, minutes as written.

Speak to the Senate

  1. Dr. Natasha Chen, the Middle States Co-Chair, recently shared an important update regarding the college’s ongoing accreditation process with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). This accreditation is essential, as it ensures that the college is providing a high-quality education and meeting rigorous academic and institutional standards. This semester, the college has gathered between 500 and 700 documents to demonstrate its compliance with key standards, including Standard 3 (Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience), Standard 4 (Support of the Student Experience), and Standard 5 (Educational Effectiveness Assessment). As part of this process, the Middle States team is seeking the Student Government Association’s (SGA) feedback on their reports to make sure student voices are considered. They are also requesting a knowledgeable student representative from SGA to participate in the upcoming site visit. This is a valuable opportunity for SGA to play a role in shaping the college’s future and ensuring that the student perspective is reflected in this critical accreditation process.

    An Update: The Calendar Committee has begun reviewing the academic calendars that have been in place for several years, with discussions starting back in February. They are now exploring the possibility of expanding or modifying the academic calendar to better support students’ needs. One idea currently being considered is introducing a mental health break in the fall semester, similar to spring break. While nothing is finalized yet, the committee plans to send out a survey to gather student input on this proposal. Members of the committee are also expected to attend upcoming meetings to discuss these ideas further. At this stage, it remains an open discussion, and student feedback will be a crucial part of the decision-making process.

Reports

  1. President Romero

    On Wednesday, April 2nd, President Romero helped with the SGA self-defense training event alongside Diversity Senator Small, VP Cole, Student Relations Senator Simba, Secretary of Governance Enaami, and Secretary of Staff DePoty. Those who attended learned to defend themselves in cases where others could harm them, and there was also a section of the event which went over sexual violence, and how you should handle reporting cases of this happening. After this, President Romero attended the interview for a candidate applying for the Dean of STEM & Health position. He helped interview the candidate alongside those in Shared Governance, like President of Faculty Senate Becky Babcock, Faculty Association Bethany Gizzi, and members of the STEM Department. From Thursday, April 3rd, until Sunday, April 6th, President Romero traveled to Kansas City, Missouri, alongside the PTK team to attend the annual Phi Theta Kappa Catalyst Conference. This conference had chapters from across the country, where we would meet other students and celebrate their accomplishments throughout the academic year through hallmark awards. There were also guest speakers who would share their own stories to inspire everyone. The speakers included Olympic Champion Laurie Hernandez, Broadway actor Miguel Cervantes, PTK International Officer Annalise Smith, PTK President & CEO Dr Lynn Tincher-Ladner, and Steve Burns from the famous Children’s show Blue’s Clues. Lastly, throughout the conference, the PTK team would all decide who they would vote for regarding the PTK International Officer Elections. They met the running candidates and asked them questions they felt mattered. Overall, it was a great experience.

  2. Vice President of Governance Cole

    Good afternoon, everyone. Overall, last week was pretty busy for VP Cole. On Wednesday, April 2nd, Culture Alliance held an event to highlight Sexual Assault Awareness Month. She attended, the event featured a PowerPoint presentation discussing Title IX, followed by a self-defense session. Overall, the event went well. Later that day, she assisted with an event for the First Year Experience called College 101, which provided high school students and their parents with guidance on essential aspects of starting college. She helped lead attendees from the South entrance to the event and assisted in setting up activities for the students. Overall, it was a great success. On Thursday, April 3rd, she worked at another event in the Residence Halls. This event aimed to showcase meals that could be created using food from the food pantry, DWIGHT, and to give students a chance to create their own meal ideas while also having the opportunity to win food items. It seemed very successful and was a great way to spread the word about available food resources. Finally, on Friday, she assisted with the group interview process for Resident Assistants (RAs) and Peer Navigators. She observed the applicants and helped guide them through the group interview process. Overall, it went smoothly. And that is all. Thank you!

  3. Vice President of Downtown Ellis

    Loritea Ellis SGA Report 4/5/25 Downtown Campus Vice President Ellis on March 31, 2025, The VP attended the Women History Month Tea Party. It was held at the Downtown Campus on the second floor from 11:00- 12:30 pm. Many students, staff, and faculty came t also participate. There was all sorts of food and desserts for the tea party. A variety of cookies, muffins, pies, sandwiches, coffee, tea, lemon juice and much more. There were also many activities to do. Self-care bags, and vision boards that everyone had a great time making. Juslannie from Student Life and Leadership really did a great job, and all those who helped make the event successful. The VP really had a great time and really appreciated everyone helping further build the Downtown Campus community even further. On April 4, 2025, The VP met with Juslannie on a Zoom meeting to help plan for the Spring Fling that is to take place at 10:00 am. The discussion will be followed by the VP on Monday 4/7/25 with Juslannie. The VP had a great time at the meeting.

  4. Treasurer Demir

    Treasurer Demir has no report this week 

  5. Secretary of Governance Enaami

    Secretary of Governance Enaami has no report this week

  6. Secretary of Staff DePoty

    Secretary of Staff DePoty has no report this week

  7. Chief of Staff Al Ani

    On Tuesday, April 1st, Hamzah visited Rush Henrietta Middle School in part with the MCC NOYCE program, to observe a live classroom and assist students in learning the required material. On Wednesday, April 2nd, Hamzah met with MSA to further discuss their upcoming event and assist new MSA officers with understanding their roles as student leaders. He later joins Cabbages and Kings, Pride Alliance, and Tabletop clubs in a meeting revolving around their upcoming collaborative event, The Spring Soirée. He later attended the Open Mic event hosted by SMA from 4 to 5, which ran successfully with an engaging audience. And lastly, Hamzah visited the new ELC MakerSpace at 5 PM.

  8. Health & Wellness Senator Wrobeh

    Health and Wellness Senator Wrobeh has no report this week.

  9. Student Relations Senator Simba

    Student Relations Senator Simba has no report this week.

  10. Diversity Senator Small

    On Wednesday, April 2nd, Culture Alliance presented the Sexual Assault Awareness Self-Defense Workshop featuring a presentation by RESTORE Sexual Assault Services and a self-defense course instructed by Ronin Martial Arts Academy. This was a great event where students learned basic self-defense strategies, and how to support ourselves and our community when stricken with trauma such as sexual assault or assault. This was an extremely engaging event that helped students feel more secure in their environments and autonomy. On Friday, April 4th, Elisabeth met with Culture Alliance to discuss the Myanmar Earthquake Relief Fundraiser and the events for Mental Health Awareness Month.

  11. Student Trustee Leichtner

    Student Trustee Leichtner has no report this week.

  12. Public Relations Senator Rizzuti

    Public Relations Senator Rizzuti has no report for this week

  13. Athletic Senator Burno

    Athletic Senator Burno has no report this week

New Business

  1. Action Items (requires a senate vote)
    1. Resolution to Approve the Funding Request Of $700 for Math Club

      Resolved, The Monroe Community College Student Government Association approved the funding request for Math Club. 
      Vice President of Governance Cole called for a motion to approve the resolution. Senator Wrobeh so moved, seconded by Senator Burno.  
      Discussion: Math Club has 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 funding request for Math Club effective April 8, 2025, at Monroe Community College.

    2. Resolution to Approve the Funding Request Of $538 for Tabletop Club
      Resolved, The Monroe Community College Student Government Association approved the funding request for Tabletop Club. 
      Vice President of Governance Cole called for a motion to approve the resolution. Senator Small so moved, seconded by Senator Simba.  
      Discussion: Tabletop club has 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 funding request for Tabletop Club effective April 8, 2025 at Monroe Community College

    3. Resolution to Approve the Funding Request Of $2500 for Global Union

      Resolved, The Monroe Community College Student Government Association approved the funding request for Global Union. 
      Vice President of Governance Cole called for a motion to approve the resolution. Senator Simba so moved, seconded by Senator Wrobeh.  
      Discussion: Global Union has 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 funding request for Global Union effective April 8, 2025, 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 Cole called for a motion for adjournment.
    Senator Wrobeh so moved, second by Senator Burno
  2. Meeting was adjourned at 2:46 pm.

Executive Session

Respectfully submitted,
Hajer Enaami
Secretary of Governance