Haley Hadge
Staff Writer
SGA members voiced concerns regarding students not wearing masks at student service locations such as the Student Transportation Center, Sandella’s, as well as other dining locations, at its meeting April 6.
Senator Emily Rosenberg said in the “student lounge, nobody was wearing their masks. In the residence hall, nobody’s wearing their masks, or at least they’re having it halfway down.”
She asked what the administration can do to address this issue, “especially since we had 11 cases last week.”
President Olivia Beverlie explained the standard procedure that Residence Life has in place for when individuals are wearing masks incorrectly or not at all.
She said first the Security Desk Attendant (SDA) should ask them to wear or fix their mask as well as provide them with a new one if needed. Then, an incident report including the individual’s name, the time, and the date needs to be written so that “if it is a continuous behavior, it’s addressed by the AD [Area Director].”
Beverlie added, “Every building has some type of program” with pre-determined guidelines in place to create a safe environment for students and faculty throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“RAs [Resident Assistants] are supposed to be asking residents to put their masks on when we’re on rounds if we see them [students] without them on,” said Beverlie.
SGA Advisor Sara Gallegos said she has also noticed this issue of improper mask wearing and will make the supervisor of Student Transport aware of this, adding, “I’m glad you brought that up.”
Nutrition Club President Claudia Osorio requested funding in the amount of $10,000 to host Daphne Miller as a virtual speaker for the Framingham State community.
Currently, SGA has approximately $38,000 of unallocated funds, according to SATF Treasurer Ewni Fedna.
Miller is a family physician, author, and the “founder of Health from the Soil Up, an initiative which harnesses medical resources to transform the food system and promote environmental justice,” according to Osorio.
She added, “We think Dr. Miller is of interest to all students at FSU because of her focus on sustainability and environmental justice, which are both heavily linked with racial justice, which is a focus of the University this year.”
The request was unanimously approved. The virtual event is expected to take place on April 28.
During the Student Advisory Council report, Senator Mark Haskell said he met with members of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education on April 1 to discuss “the new undergrad experience going forward,” he said.
This discussion included “a possible Student Bill of Rights,” said Haskell. “This is a relatively new concept for most colleges, and there were a few points that were made about the right to have an effective impact on college policies.”
He added some of the main policies within this Bill of Rights may include the inalienable right to an equitable or full education in higher education, all complaints taken seriously, freedom from debt, Cares Act funding adjustable deadline, and undocumented students should be included for in-state tuition.
During her report, Mariah Farris, outreach and events coordinator, discussed upcoming events such as Ram Hunt on April 12, for which prizes include a TV, a hoverboard, and LED lights, and an Earth Day event for April 23.
During her advisor’s report, Gallegos said, “We do have some on-campus, in-person events that are happening.”
Student Union Activities Board and Hilltop are hosting a drive-in double-feature movie event on April 9 featuring “The Lion King” and “Grease,” Gallegos said.
She added Motivation. Intersectionality. Solidarity. Sisterhood. will also be hosting a drive-in on April 23.
Sandbox, “a big, fun carnival event,” will take place in person, on campus May 7, according to Gallegos.
During officer reports, Beverlie announced Marcie Dineen, area director of Miles Bibb Hall and Linsley Hall, will be SGA’s “pro-stab” member.
Beverlie also encouraged seniors in the virtual room to “start thinking about election committee.”
[Editor’s Note: Emily Rosenberg is Asst. Opinions Editor of The Gatepost.]