2025-12-02 SGA Senate Meeting Minutes

December 2, 2025

2:15pm, Forum (Brighton Campus Building 3, Room 130), Downtown Campus Room 200B, and via Zoom

In Attendance

Student Senators

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

President

  • Jalisia Burno

Vice President of Governance

  • Margherita Rizzuti

Vice President of Downtown

  •  

Secretary of Governance

  • Hajer Enaami

Treasurer

  •  

Chief of Staff

  •  

Secretary of Staff

  •  

Student Trustee

  • Parker Werven

Office of Student Life

  • Advisor: Jodi Oriel
  • Faculty Advisor: Mark Sample

Visitors

  • Dana Williams – MCC Student
  • Ginny Geer-Mentry – MCC Association
  • Teri Best – MCC Association
  • Veronica Chiesi Brown – Community Relations
  • Courtney Weimar – Community Relations
  • Ryan Messenger – Academic & Student Affairs
  • Eric Wheeler – Vet Services;
  • Leslie Greenwood – MCC Student / Monroe Maverick
  • Zai Mowzon – MCC Student / Monroe Maverick
  • Angie Nassar – MCC alumni
  • Corey Maltsev – MCC student
  • Gary Johnson, ASA
  • Kyle Strowbridge – Robotics Club
  • Sam Harris – Robotics Club
  • Ryan Sanza – Robotics Club
  • Aj – Travel Club.

Minutes

Call to Order (2:15 pm)

  1. Roll Call (see attendance above)
    Vice President of Governance Rizzuti called for a roll call to start the senate meeting. Athletic Senator Breedy did the Roll Call.
  2. Land Acknowledgement 
    Senator Breedy read the Land Acknowledgement

Approval of Minutes

  1. Vice President of Governance Rizzuti called for a motion to approve the November 25, 2025 Student Government Association minutes.
  2. Senator Breedy moved, seconded by Senator Smetanyak.
  3. A vote was taken.
  4. Be it resolved, the Monroe Community College Student Government Association approves the November 25, 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. We ask that you continue to be respectful of the meeting protocol

Speak to the Senate

  • No one spoke to the Senate.

Reports

  1. President Burno
    • Good afternoon everyone. President Burno hopes everyone enjoyed their time off with their loved ones and had time to rest. Her report this week is a little shorter since we had break. Over the break, she used this time off to study, complete schoolwork, prep for upcoming finals, and spend time with family. She hopes you all have a great week as we wrap up these few weeks left.
  2. Vice President of Governance Rizzuti
    • No Report
  3. Student Trustee Parker Werven
    • No Report
  4. Secretary of Governance Hajer Enaami
    • This past week, Secretary Enaami had a short but productive week. On Monday, she stopped by the Engneering Leadership Club to check their rooms and see if they needed any support. The club was awaiting funds from SGA for their 3D printer, which they plan to use in collaboration with the Robotics Club—a very exciting project.
    • On Tuesday, Secretary Enaami attended a long SGA meeting with her team. Despite the lengthy discussion, she was proud of the progress made and encouraged everyone to keep up the good work.Wednesday was a school holiday, so Secretary Enaami spent the day at work. It was a relatively relaxed day, but enjoyable. Unfortunately, it was Morgan’s last day, and she will be greatly missed by Secretary Enaami and the office team.
    • Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, was spent with Athletic Senator Breedy, Vice President Rizzutie, and other colleagues. Secretary Enaami also had the pleasure of meeting Senator Breedy’s family and learning about her childhood experiences…which was very funny.For the remainder of the week, Secretary Enaami had hoped to rest like the rest of the team, but work remained demanding, leaving her feeling even more tired. However, she was able to catch up with friends who were out of town, which was a definite highlight of the week.
    • Secretary Enaami reflected on the student government experience, expressing gratitude for the opportunity and pride in her team. She acknowledged the upcoming final stretch and encouraged everyone to continue their efforts. Serving in student government has been life-changing, and Secretary Enaami is confident that her colleagues will accomplish amazing things in the future.
  5. Health and Wellness Senator Keech
    • No Report
  6. Club/Organization Senator Pottinger
    • Over the past week, Abigail focused on spending quality time with her family while also catching up on schoolwork. Taking this time has helped Abigail recharge and prepare for the final stretch of the semester. As we move into the last two weeks of classes, I want to wish everyone a strong finish. Abigail hopes you all have a productive end to the semester and that your finals go smoothly. Keep pushing, you’re almost there! Have a great rest of the semester! Thank you.
  7. Clubs & Organizations Senator Reeves
    • Elle had a productive and restorative week, largely centered around the Thanksgiving holiday. She spent Thanksgiving with Lisa, where they enjoyed a warm and welcoming dinner followed by karaoke, creating a positive and memorable evening. The break provided Elle with an important opportunity to reset mentally and physically after a busy semester. She was able to take time for herself, reflect on her goals, and recharge while still remaining academically focused. In addition to enjoying the holiday, Elle dedicated part of her week to studying for upcoming exams and preparing for the final stretch of the semester. Overall, it was a balanced and meaningful week that supported both her well-being and her academic success.
  8. Athletic Senator Breedy
    • No Report
  9. Public Relations Senator Smetanyak
    • Over the past week, Senator Smetanyak reviewed and drafted financial request resolutions for the Robotics Club and the Travel Club. For the Robotics Club, he examined their request for funding to purchase a 3D printer that would allow members to create parts for their robotics projects and support hands-on engineering work. For the Travel Club, he reviewed their request for support for an educational trip to Chicago, which includes flights, hotel accommodations, transportation, and conference activities related to hospitality and tourism. After confirming the purpose and accuracy of both requests, he drafted the resolutions to clearly outline what each club intends to use the funding for and why the support is necessary.

New Business

  1. Resolution for fund request of $490 for the Robotics Club

    RESOLVED, that by the Senate present and voting, $490 from the Student Government

    Association Contingency Account be allocated to the Robotics Club to purchase a 3D printer for club projects, member development, and future programming.

    Vice President of Governance Rizzuti called for a motion to approve the resolution. Senator Keech so moved, seconded by Senator Smetanyak.

    Discussion: The Robotics Club 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 Robotics Club, effective December 2nd, 2025, at Monroe Community College.

  2. Resolution for fund request of $6,000 for the Travel Club

    RESOLVED, that by the Senate present and voting, $6,000 from the Student Government Association Contingency Account be allocated to the Travel Club to help offset the educational travel costs and ensure student access to this professional development opportunity.

    Vice President of Governance Rizzuti called for a motion to approve the resolution. Senator Breedy so moved, seconded by Senator Smetanyak.

    Discussion:

    The Robotics Club 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 Travel Club, effective December 2nd, 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. Opening of Meeting

    Vice President Rizzuti opened the meeting and invited questions and updates from attendees.
  2. Status of WMCC and The Monroe Doctrine

    Questions regarding the Status of WMCC and The Monroe Doctrine were raised by Leslie Greenwood. SGA clarified the basis for the suspension of both WMCC and The Monroe Doctrine. Representatives explained that both organizations had stopped producing media, were not attending the required monthly Clubs & Orgs meetings, and had little to no active membership. These conditions placed both groups out of good standing.

    SGA confirmed that the same standards and reasons applied equally to each organization. The pathway to reinstatement will be determined by a new “Unsuspension Article,” currently being drafted by the Bylaws Committee. Once approved, it will outline the specific steps necessary for any suspended club or organization to regain active status.
  3. Student Life Fee Discussion

    Questions regarding the Student Life Fee were raised by Angeline Nassar. SGA explained that all students pay the fee, which supports student activities, athletics, campus events, and club operations. Only a portion of the overall fund is allocated to SGA for club funding, and the exact total amount for the year was not available at the meeting.

    Executive Director of the MCC Association, Ginny Geer-Mentry, clarified that unused SGA funds do not roll over to the next fiscal year. Instead, they are transferred into the MCC Association’s Development Fund, which is used for large student-focused projects, such as purchasing furniture for campus lounges.

    Geer-Mentry also noted that the MCC Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit responsible for oversight of the Student Life Fee and various auxiliary operations, including housing, childcare, dining, vending, and the bookstore. She confirmed that the Association does invest funds as part of its overall financial management.
  4. Student-to-Student Communications Survey

    A large portion of the meeting focused on concerns regarding the media communications survey administered by the Student-to-Student Communications Committee. Students asked about: the possibility of taking the survey multiple times, whether the questions were leading or biased, technical issues that persisted despite earlier delays, whether student input on question order and wording had been properly incorporated.

    Committee representatives stated that the survey was reviewed and approved by both the committee and Dr. William Dixon, Vice President of Institutional Research. Although early instances of duplicate submissions were detected and corrected, the committee acknowledged that some limitations remained. Members committed to following up by email regarding unresolved concerns.

    The committee emphasized that the survey was not created in response to the media organization suspensions. Its purpose is to gauge student preferences for receiving campus news. Further decisions will occur during a second phase after survey results have been fully collected and reviewed.
  5. Relationship Between Survey Results and Media Organizations

    Attendees asked how the survey outcomes might relate to WMCC and The Monroe Doctrine. SGA stated that any future media platform, whether Substack, an app tile, or another format, must exist within MCC’s club and organization structure. It cannot operate independently. Final decisions will depend on both survey results and the forthcoming bylaws regarding unsuspension.

    SGA reiterated that it does not intend to assume the role of a campus media organization.

    Student Zai Mowzon raised questions about the proposed MCC app “tile,” including external linking and ownership of the platform. SGA indicated that further information was needed and committed to researching answers.
  6. Additional Business

    Student Corey Brown suggested hosting a simulated vehicle crash demonstration as part of DWI Awareness Month. Vice President Rizzuti stated that this may be possible in partnership with First-Year Experience and Public Safety, pending approvals.

    Chair Vice President Rizzuti also briefly acknowledged the success of the ROC the Day fundraising event, which raised $120 for charity. Sodexo donated cookies for the event.
  7. Final Question

    Before adjournment, Angeline Nassar asked whether the survey had been formally proofread by qualified individuals. Chair Vice President Rizzuti also stated Institutional Research confirmed that it had reviewed both the formatting and the language of the survey.

Adjournment

  1. Vice President of Governance Rizzuti called for a motion for adjournment.
    • Senator Breedy so moved, seconded by Senator Keech.
  2. Meeting was adjourned at 2:57 pm.

Executive Session

Respectfully submitted