SGA Discusses Campus Climate

Faith Monahan ’24

Contributing Writer

This Sunday, following a two-week break, the SGA met to discuss committee updates, moved forward with implementing a Parliamentarian position for the SGA, and discussed the campus climate and how to improve it. 

The Food Committee met to discuss issues related to the current system in place to keep students quarantined and the meal plans students have already paid for. Currently, quarantined students have their meal plans canceled while in isolation, but these meals have not been reimbursed. Maddie White ’22 discussed that the food committee is looking to have a system in place either for friends to safely bring meals to those in quarantine or to have these swipes reimbursed. Also, the committee clarified that students are allowed to swipe in friends who are out of meals, but they must confirm that the student is not in quarantine. 

The Student Life Committee discussed current issues facing Trinity’s updated Title IX policy. The administration has recently hired an outside counsel to review the policy. Vice President of SGA Jack Stone ’22 explained that, “They’ve made the determination that all student-facing, student employees should be required to be some level of mandated reporter… which probably isn’t what we are looking to do as we just got RAs off of that requirement.” This change would affect the stress levels of P.R.I.D.E. leaders and RAs in dorms, and it also brings into question whether other types of student-employees should be mandated reporters. Clare Donohoe ’22 also explained that “It’s very nuanced… if students should be mandated reporters, if just RAs should be mandated reporters, if no student should be mandated reporters, if all student-employees should be mandated reporters…there’s so many layers.” Interviews for these positions for next year that have recently begun do not mention the potential changes in the job description. The committee is considering reaching out to P.R.I.D.E leaders and RAs as well as the larger student body in order to see what students want in their policy. 

The Admissions and Financial Aid Committee discussed the need for admissions to improve the climate of Trinity especially in regard to preventing acts of racism. 

SGA President Giovanni Jones ’21 opened up the second half of the meeting by discussing the racist incident that occurred on Mar. 27 and racism more broadly on Trinity’s campus stating, “As students we have to hold each other accountable and making sure we practice what we preach.” Jederick Estrella ’22 said, “It does start with us challenging our friendships… it first needs to start with us as a body, and especially with SGA.” Joshua Jacoves ’23 commented that “we’re not going to necessarily prevent a racist from coming on campus, but we can prevent letting them do this,” stressing a need for prior intervention. SGA continued to discuss campus climate and the role of students in changing the culture at Trinity. Some of the points included the importance of calling out friends, the College’s response to incidents of racism, the need of admissions to maintain funding, and the lack of attendance to cross-cultural events by white students.