SGA Votes On Executive Board, Discusses ConnPIRG Campaigns and Student Engagement

Jack P. Carroll ’24

News Editor

On Sunday, Dec. 13, the Student Government Association (SGA) convened in an online meeting via Zoom to vote on its Executive Board, as well as to address concerns related to student engagement on campus and plans for the spring semester.

Joshua Jacoves ’23 introduced the “vote of confidence” for the SGA Senate and Executive Board to evaluate the performance and leadership of the members of the Executive Board.

The SGA Constitution requires the SGA to conduct a vote of confidence during the last meeting of the fall semester. Also, 2/3rds of the SGA body must be present for the vote; the SGA cannot resume its functions in the spring until after the vote has occurred. Jacoves indicated that members of the Executive Board who do not receive a favorable vote from 2/3rds of the voting body are replaced.

In an anonymous vote via Google Forms, the following members of the SGA Executive Board were re-sworn into their positions: Giovanni Jones ’21 (President), Jack Stone ’22 (Vice President), Renita Washington ’22 (Vice President of Multicultural Affairs), and Camille Valentincic ’22 (Vice President of Finance).

Maddy White ’22 was excluded from the vote as her term as Co-Vice President of Communications had ended. Jordin Lewis ’22, who served alongside White as the second Co-Vice President, will remain on the Communications Committee for the spring semester.

Jacoves further noted that the results of the vote would be published for the student body to view, though it was not stated when this would occur.

Caroline Munn ’21, who is the chapter chair of Trinity ConnPIRG, notified the SGA of the organization’s reaffirmation campaign that will take place in the Spring 2021 semester. Every two years the student body votes and reaffirms ConnPIRG’s chapter on campus; all students are required to pay a $5 fee each semester to fund the organization and continue its presence at Trinity.

As stated on their website, “CONNPIRG is an independent statewide student-directed and student-funded organization that works on issues like environmental and consumer protection.”

Also, “CONNPIRG gives students the skills and opportunity to practice effective citizenship. Both here on campus and out in the real world, we mobilize students to investigate big social problems, come up with practical solutions, convince the media and the public to pay attention and get decision-makers to act.”

Munn informed members of the SGA of four campaigns that Trinity’s CONNPIRG chapter will be hosting in the Spring: Zero Waste campaign, Open Educational Resources, Automatic Voter Registration, and Hunger and Homelessness.

During the fall 2020 semester, Trinity ConnPIRG hosted a voter registration campaign in which the organization worked to register over 300 students in Connecticut.

In response to concerns regarding the lack of student engagement on campus due to COVID-19 restrictions, the SGA considered a broad range of events and activities to host during the spring semester with respect to public health guidelines.

In addition to continuing to offer online office hours, members of the SGA expressed support for hosting a food truck and setting up more opportunities for current first-year students to become acquainted with college faculty.