2025-09-23 SGA Senate Meeting Minutes

September 23, 2025

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

In Attendance

Student Senators

  • Senator Maddilyn Keech
  • Senator Elle Reeves
  • Senator Abigail Pottinger
  • Senator John Breedy
  • Senator Rusty Smetanyak

President

  • Lisa Burno

Vice President of Governance

  • Margherita Rizzuti

Secretary of Governance

  • Hajer Enaami

Student Trustee

  • Parker Werven

Office of Student Life

  • Advisor: Jodi Oriel
  • Faculty Advisor: Mark Sample

Visitors

  • Angelo Romero – SGA President Alumni
  • Ginny Geer-Mentry – MCC Association
  • Teri Best – MCC Association
  • Ryan Messenger – Student Affairs
  • Dana Williams – MCC Student
  • Leslie Greenwood – MCC Student
  • Kai M. – MCC Student
  • Veronica Chiesi Brown – Community Relations
  • Courtney Weimar – Community Relations
  • Julie Babulski – Biology, Faculty Senate
  • Audre Schoof – MCC Student – SWE
  • Patrick Morris – Community Relations
  • April Daniels – English & Philosophy
  • Morreen Walsh – MCC Student – Cabbages & Kings
  • Chloe Allen – Office of Student Life & Leadership Development
  • Shelaneise Quinn – MCC Student
  • Eric Wheeler – Veteran Services

Minutes

Call to Order (2:17 pm)

  1. Roll Call (see attendance above)
    Vice President of Governance Rizzuti called for a roll call to start the senate meeting.
  2. Land Acknowledgement
  3. Approval of Minutes
    1. Vice President of Governance Rizzuti called for a motion to approve the September 16, 2025, Student Government Association Minutes
    2. Senator Breedy moved, seconded by Senator Keech
    3. A vote was taken
    4. Be it resolved, the Monroe Community College Student Government Association approves the September 16, 2025, minutes as written

Protocol for Student Government Association Tuesday Meeting – President Jalisia Burno

Before proceeding to the Speak to the Senate portion of the agenda, the Student Government Association (SGA) hereby establishes the following protocol, to be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

  1. The Chair, Vice President Rizzuti, shall recognize each individual prior to speaking. Only those who have been recognized will be permitted to address the assembly.
  2. Both Student Government Association members and Senate members will be afforded the opportunity to speak, provided they have been duly recognized by the Chair.
  3. All participants shall:
    • Engage in active listening;
    • Remain on topic; and
    • Communicate in a respectful and professional manner.
  4. Only one person may speak at a time. Interjections or interruptions are not permitted

For today’s meeting, the Speak to the Senate segment will be subject to a time limit of 15 min in order to accommodate the subsequent meeting with President Burt-Nanna and her Executive Leadership Team.

Speak to the Senate

Guest Speaker: Corey, student

Corey shared that he had attended a meeting regarding WMCC and the future of student news. He noted that students are no longer turning to newspapers for updates; instead, they primarily consume news on their phones. He suggested that WMCC could be re-established in a more modernized way to meet these needs. President Jalisia agreed, noting that this is why the Student Government Association (SGA) is working to improve access to student news in formats that are easier for students to use. Corey was thanked for his input.

Comments from Morreen:

Morreen, representing Cabbages and Kings, expressed that they had not yet received updates regarding the Committee, but was informed that the Student-to-Student Committee is meeting this Friday. They emphasized that students are very passionate about this matter.

They shared their appreciation for the opportunities provided within their own program, such as writing workshops and speaking engagements, which have made them feel they are receiving the full value of their education. This support, they noted, has allowed them to feel confident in pursuing publishing.

However, they pointed out that mass media students are not experiencing the same level of opportunity or growth, which they consider a serious concern. They mentioned that students are working on developing The Monroe Maverick as a modernized news platform. While they acknowledged the importance of forming committees, they emphasized that real opportunities must also be provided to ensure equal value for all students. Morreen added that an advisor is interested in taking on a supportive role for this initiative. Senator Breedy and the Secretary are currently collaborating to determine the best way forward and expressed their willingness to work closely with all involved in both committees, particularly the By-Laws Committee. They also offered to meet with Morreen to discuss this further.

Additional Comments

Another member of The Monroe Doctrine expressed interest in joining both committees under discussion and shared her appreciation for the efforts being made by SGA.

Remarks from Leslie

Leslie requested amendments to the minutes from the first and second meetings but did not provide specific details. She also asked that future meeting minutes include more information. Additionally, she addressed a previous statement made by Senator Maddy, clarifying that while members of SGA are students, their responsibility is to prioritize the interests of the broader student body…something SGA always keeps in mind.

Reports

  1. President Burno

    Good afternoon, On Wednesday, September 17th, I had the opportunity to engage with the student body during Constitution Day. Students were able to ask and answer questions while learning more about the importance of the Constitution. The following day, Thursday, September 18th, Vice President Rizzuti and I participated in a run-through with representatives from Middle States. We engaged in meaningful discussion, shared feedback, and highlighted aspects of campus life here at MCC. Lastly, my team and I have been working diligently on developing our Student-to-Student Communication Platform. Our goal is to create the most effective way to serve the student body by learning how they would like to receive campus news and media. We’ve also been working hard on forming this committee and welcoming students from across the college community to join.

  2. Vice President of Governance Rizzuti

    Over the past week, Vice President of Governance Margherita Rizzuti participated in several key activities that strengthened her role in the Student Government Association. She helped set up and spoke during the Constitution Day celebration, ensuring the event space was prepared for students and faculty and addressing the audience on the continuing importance of the Constitution in everyday life. Margherita was also honored to participate in the mock Middle States interview alongside President Lisa Burno, gaining valuable insight into the accreditation process and how the college demonstrates its commitment to continuous improvement. Later in the week, she attended her first faculty meeting, where she presented a detailed SGA report, outlining recent accomplishments and upcoming initiatives while answering faculty questions. In addition, the SGA finalized key deadlines for its committees, and Margherita officially joined the Bylaw and Constitution Committee, where she will contribute to reviewing and strengthening the framework that guides student government operations. Overall, it was a productive and rewarding week that deepened her understanding of both campus operations and SGA leadership.

  3. Secretary of Governance Enaami

    The Student Government Association (SGA) met on Tuesday to continue discussions from the previous agenda, during which a By-Law Committee was officially formed. On Wednesday, SGA hosted a Constitution Day event, which had a great turnout with many students stopping by to participate and engage.The SGA did amazing. The By-Law Committee will be meeting soon, and so will the Student-To-Student committee. If you are interested in joining or learning more, please reach out to me or John.

  4. Student Trustee Werven

    This week, the student trustee was honored to participate in Constitution Day, which took place on Wednesday the 17th by the marketplace. They spoke from the podium to emphasize the importance of the Constitution to students and faculty passing by. They also had the opportunity to meet several potential SGA applicants while informing them about SGA before attending class that same day. He also attended the makeup student leader training on Friday the 19th and learned more about the process and commitment of clubs and organizations among other things.

  5. Health and Wellness Senator Keech

    Over the past week the student-to-student committee has found a meeting time Fridays at 1 to 2 to have our meetings in Building 3-139A, starting on Oct 3rd. The student poll about how they would like to receive their campus news has been made. The Senator of Health and Wellness and Elections coordinator Ella also have worked on increasing mental health awareness on our campus. Then all of us will be meeting with the President and her cabinet today to share what we all have worked for in Vision 2027 and how we are doing it. The Health and Wellness Senator would also like to congratulate our two new clubs and organization Senators Elle and Abby.

  6. Public Relations Senator Smetanyak

    Rostyslav Smetanyak joined the student government a week ago, listend to students at the Tuesday meeting about the 2 recently suspended clubs. And he has another meeting on Friday.

  7. Athletic Senator Breedy

    From meetings in the recent past, and the uproar coming from very passionate students, I my eyes have been opened greatly. I am willing to admit that there were mistakes made on my end, alongside a general lack of understanding. Although there were ways that these messages could’ve been communicated more cordially, and in a more respectful manor, the voices of concern still had a right to be concerned by many things. I understand that there is a long history behind the organizations of WMCC and the Monroe Doctrine, and there is plenty of sentimental value attached to these historic organizations. Providing asylum for passionate students with like-minded ideas and aspirations, alongside helping them gain valuable experience and knowledge through these organizations, and I completely understand why they may feel that our choice is unfair. I do feel that the cause of this can be from a plethora of reasons, like advisors and students not fulfilling their duties such as turning in attendance sheets, the fact that spreading the news via newspaper has become outdated in this new day and age of technology, and a lack of communication between these organizations and the Student Government Association. With that being said, I truly would like to emphasize from the bottom of my heart that we are not against you. Although we may not of voiced our words the best, or may have had heated encounters in the past few public meetings, we as your fellow students truly wish you the best, as we all understand what it like to be passionate about something we love. I understand that journalism and communications related jobs are both very niche professions, that don’t provide as many open doors as the profession that I am choosing to pursue, which is General Contracting. I admire the passion you all have for your dreams, which is why me and my colleagues have been working harder than ever this past week on resolving some of the problems we have been facing recently. First, I would like to say that we are forming this student-to-student committee primarily to benefit you students, the face of this new organization we are developing. We want to provide you with the best opportunities for your future, so that you may be successful, and we believe this committee will provide you with more outreach to the student body, thus providing you with more experience doing what you love. We will be taking inspiration from the recently suspended organizations like the Monroe Doctrine and WMCC, and plug and play some of those same methods and ideals into what we are certain will be a more effective way to reach out to students and faculty. Second, we will be working on forming a rubric, or guideline if you will to reinstate suspended clubs, in this case the Monroe Doctrine and WMCC, and for cases in the future. A mandatory and vital component for clubs/organizations to meet this rubric, they would have to provide students with innovative and modern platforms that will engage the student bodies interest, in this case meaning in a way that they would have to want to receive their news and music from these organizations, not just in the way the organizations would want to provide it such as solely printing papers. We have never been faced with a problem of this nature, especially not to this extent, therefore we were unprepared to address it. With that being said, we will continue to work extensively on developing this new guideline to provide clubs that were suspended a chance to redeem themselves if they are able to fulfill these expectations. We truly appreciate hearing your voices at these meetings, and listening to your input, as you are part of what makes MCC special as the student body. We wish you all the best, and will continue to try to help you as being the not only the representatives, but the actions to your voices.

  8. Residence Hall Senator Pottinger

    Abigail is changing her role from Residence Halls Senator to the Club and Orgs Senator, changing positions helps Abigail to become more involved and engaged. Wednesday sept. 17 was constitution day and Abigail helped table the event, making sure students were informed about their rights and the importance of the day. Abigail also wrote the draft to appoint Elle as Club and Orgs Senator. Abigail and Elle will help the clubs on campus as best as possible and give support whenever needed. Abigail hopes they can do great things together and split up the work equally.

  9. Election Coordinator Reeves

    This week, SGA held Constitution Day, which also marked the first day of registering students to vote on campus. Students were able to stop by and learn more about the registration process, and I had the opportunity to personally share with them why voting matters and how their voices can make a difference. Along with these efforts, SGA has also been actively working on the Student-to-Student Communication Committee, focusing on creating stronger connections among students and making sure their concerns and ideas are heard. These initiatives show SGA’s commitment to not only civic engagement but also building a campus where students feel supported and connected.

New Business

  1. Action Items (requires a senate vote)
    1. Resolution to Appoint Abigail Pottinger as the Club and Organization Senator

      Resolved, the Monroe Community College Student Government Association approves the appointment of Abigail Pottinger as the Club and Organization Senator.
      Vice President of Governance Rizzuti called for a motion to approve the resolution. Senator Breedy so moved, seconded by Senator Keech.
      Discussion: Abigail Pottinger has requested to serve as the Club and Organization Senator, has met all requirements necessary to hold the position, and the Student Government Association believes she is an excellent candidate.
      A vote was taken, and the resolution passed.
      Be it resolved, the senate present and voting hereby appoints Abigail Pottinger as the Club and Organization Senator of the Student Government Association, effective Fall 2025 at Monroe Community College.

    2. Resolution for Fund Request of $360 for the Muslim Student Association.

      Resolved, the Monroe Community College Student Government Association approves the funding request of $360 for the Muslim Student Association.
      Vice President of Governance Rizzuti called for a motion to approve the resolution. Senator Breedy so moved, seconded by Senator Smetanyak.
      Discussion: The Muslim Student Association has completed and met the requirements set forth by the Student Government Association and the Office of Student Life and Leadership.
      A vote was taken, and the resolution passed.
      Be it resolved, the senate present and voting hereby approves the funding request for the Muslim Student Association, effective September 23, 2025, at Monroe Community College

    3. Resolution to Appoint Elle Reeves as the Club and Organization Senator

      Resolved, the Monroe Community College Student Government Association approves the appointment of Elle Reeves as the Club and Organization Senator.
      Vice President of Governance Rizzuti called for a motion to approve the resolution. Senator Keech so moved, seconded by Senator Breedy.
      Discussion: Elle Reeves has requested to serve as the Club and Organization Senator, has met all requirements necessary to hold the position, and the Student Government Association believes she is an excellent candidate.
      A vote was taken, and the resolution passed.
      Be it resolved, the senate present and voting hereby appoints Elle Reeves as the Club and Organization Senator of the Student Government Association, effective Fall 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 Rizzuti called for a motion for adjournment.
    Senator Keech so moved, second by Senator Pottinger
  2. Meeting was adjourned at 3:34 pm.

Executive Session

Respectfully submitted,
Hajer Enaami
Secretary of Governance