(Photo taken by Kris Motta Torok)

The student government had a guest speaker on the night of Oct. 8: Chancellor Ralph Ford. He began by mentioning how great the energy on campus is this fall and was impressed with campus student leaders and the committed faculty who work together to foster the campus’s welcoming atmosphere.

The first topic of discussion was the open lab commitment outlined in the strategic plan. The open lab commitment could be a project with industry, an internship, or research experience. Each major should develop its own open lab component, and program faculty determine how it is implemented. Overall, the goal is to prepare students for life outside of college, and the Chancellor believes the open lab commitment will allow students to further develop the skills they learn in the classroom.

When asked if he thought it was asking too much of the faculty to develop these open lab components, Ford said no. He articulated the responsibility of faculty to keep curriculum up to date to best serve students’ needs. According to Ford, Behrend needs to meet the moment of AI. He expressed concerns that if students are not prepared in the AI space, they will be at a disadvantage after graduation.

Behrend is taking a large step in the direction of artificial intelligence. Ford wants students and staff to understand these new technologies fully, both their risks and rewards. However, when asked about how Behrend will combat the environmental damage related to AI usage, Ford could not offer a clear solution. Ford encouraged students to use AI thoughtfully and limit unnecessary usage through careful prompting. 

Ford also touched on a topic of concern for many students: the Burke Parking Garage. The upper levels are still undergoing repairs after a car fire incident last year. However, lower levels are operational. The goal is for the garage to be fully operational by the time students return from winter break.

Chief of Staff Michael Del Signore wanted to hear the Chancellor’s perspective on declining faculty numbers and the battle against more online classes. Ford will continue to investigate and stressed that Behrend is an in-person campus.

Finally, the Chancellor touched on the recent Career Fair. Given the vast majority of engineering-focused employers, he was asked if he would consider hosting a separate career fair for non-engineering students. He stated that he would not. According to Ford, the value of the Career Fair lies in bringing together as many employers and students as possible. Ford noted that the Fair continues to expand and that many employers recruit for positions across multiple disciplines, making discipline-specific fairs logistically challenging.

Following Ford’s presentation, the previous weeks’ minutes and the current week’s agenda were both approved with a vote of general consent. There were two pieces of old business: the tabling of the prospective Behrend Geology and Paleontology Club and the Behrend Poker Club. The Behrend Poker Club did not have a representative in attendance and was once again tabled to next week’s meeting.

The Behrend Geology and Paleontology Club aims to build a community of students interested in earth sciences, fossil exploration, and ancient lifeforms. The club was recommended for approval with a vote of 11-0-1.

The next item on the agenda was new business. Three new senators were inducted into the organization: Andrew Stubenhofer, Julian Wiseman, and Meagan Doorley. The organization hosted an annual retreat on Oct. 11 to provide the new senate with information and team-building skills. Two prospective clubs were tabled to the next meeting with a vote of 15-0-0. The Behrend Baseball Club and the Mergers and Acquisitions and Valuations Society (MAVS) will have representatives at the meeting on Oct. 15. Finally, the Fall In-house election packet was approved with a vote of 15-0-0.

Executive Board Reports:

President Abby Napierski reiterated the importance of the upcoming In-house elections.

Vice-President Sawani Shinde informed the organization that there have been no traffic appeals so far for the month of Oct. Because of this, no traffic appeals committee meeting has been scheduled yet. She also announced that she would be participating in her first Commonwealth Fee Board meeting of the year on Oct. 9. 

Treasurer Owen Kagle informed the organization that there were a record number of Student Initiated Fee proposals received for October.

Chief-of-Staff Michael Del Signore had no report.

Advisor Kris Motta Torok reminded students that the Health and Wellness Center is offering Flu shots and encouraged them to take advantage of this service. She also reminded the organization that Family and Alumni Weekend is coming up and thanked students who plan to assist with the event.

Staff Reports:

Constitutional review head Bridget Culley had a committee meeting on Oct. 5 to discuss constitutional changes. She had proposed two resolutions, which were tabled until next week’s meeting with a vote of 16-0-0. The proposed changes will affect section 8.6.2 and section 8.8.1. She encouraged senators to join the committee.

Council Reports:

A representative for the Multicultural Council (MCC) informed the organization that the council is considering updating the suite. Any students interested in MCC events can find more information on the council’s calendar. The organization plans to host a pumpkin painting and hot chocolate event on Oct. 15. Harambe is scheduled for Oct. 20 from 5- 7 p.m. in McGarvey Commons.  

Panhellenic Council head Nicole Conroy announced that the council celebrated new members on Oct. 4 during the annual New Member Celebration. New Member Academy was hosted Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Interfraternity Council representative Eli Sloan announced that New Member Academy was a success. He informed the organization that Greek Week has been scheduled for the week leading up to Halloween. Additionally, he announced that Tomato A Tau will be hosted on Oct. 21

During the meeting’s closing open forum section, Senator Rylee Ogden expressed concern over allegations that part-time legal faculty will no longer be offered part-time positions. She plans to research the allegations further.   

The final act of the meeting was to reinstate section 9.5 of the constitution that was suspended during the previous week’s meeting. With a vote of general consent, the section was reinstated.

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