Student Government reconvened Oct. 1 and began, as always, with roll call. All officers were in attendance. Last week’s minutes were approved by a vote of general consent, as was the current week’s agenda. There were two items of old business. Firstly, two prospective clubs were tabled for the senate’s vote of approval,

Girls Who Code (GWC) is affiliated with the national non-profit of the same name. Their mission is to empower women through coding education and technical challenges. The club hopes to provide opportunities for collaboration and prepare its members for future STEM careers. A representative of the club emphasized the need for a coding-focused space at Behrend.  The club was recommended for approval with a vote of 9-0-1.

The Behrend Content Club’s mission is to give students a place to learn and practice specifically content creation. Members will learn about all aspects of content creation, including filming, editing, and publishing. A representative of the club highlighted the value of content creation for resume building and social connection. The club was recommended for approval with a vote of 9-0-1.

Additionally, for old business, voting for the fall election was extended until the end of Oct. 1. In order to extend voting, the association needed to suspend section 9.5 of the student government constitution. This suspension passed with a vote of 11-0-0.

New business included introducing a social media campaign targeted toward informing students of proper parking locations to avoid tickets, and how to access dietary restriction information when ordering food online. The second item of new business was the tabling of two prospective clubs. The Behrend Geology and Paleontology Club and Behrend Poker Club will have representatives at the next meeting, where the senators will vote to recommend the clubs for approval.

Executive Board Reports:

President Napierski encouraged senators to join the Food Advisory Board; the next meeting will be Oct. 22. She also informed students that Dr. Filbeck has opened an opportunity for students to join the following committees: Student Success and Engagement, Academic Excellence and Innovation, Research & Applied Scholarship, Land-Grant Mission & Economic Impact, and Institutional Vitality, Accountability & Operational Excellence. Any student interested in sitting on a committee should contact President Napierski. She also reminded the organization that Chancellor Ford will be attending the next meeting to discuss the new strategic plan, his position, and his role in collaboration with the student government. The President also shared a message from Mike Lindner, Director of Housing and Food Services. The Junker Center has begun construction. Additionally, the parking garage is open to park; students are required to scan their Penn State ID. Parking garage construction is expected to begin in the middle of Oct.

Vice-President Sawani Shinde highlighted the success of the first traffic appeals meeting of the semester. This committee reviews parking tickets given to students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Appeals must be made within seven days of the violation. 

Treasurer Owen Kagle reminded the organization that the next Student Initiated Fee deadline is Oct. 6.

Chief-of-Staff Michael Del Signore continues to work with aspiring clubs.

Council Reports:

The Multi-Cultural Council position remains open.

Panhellenic Council representative Nicole Conroy announced a philanthropy event on Oct. 6. Baskets will be made to benefit the Mercy Women’s Center.  

Interfraternity Council representative Eli Sloan announced a collaboration with the Panhellenic Council to finalize Greek Week. Additionally, the council plans to give out four $100 scholarships. The Panhellenic Council will be selecting the recipients.

Student government meetings are on Thursdays at 4:30 and are open to all Behrend students.