Last Tuesday, the USG Senate confirmed three new members as Executive Chair for Religious Life, Executive Chair of Interfraternity Council Relations and Daniels College of Business Senator. The Senate also voted to confirm a travel funds request for the DU Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.
The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) DU Chapter kicked off the Senate meeting with a funding request presentation for student delegation travel to the National NSBE Conference in March. NSBE President Barakah Kasule and Treasurer Kevin Hyunh explained NSBE is a tight-knit community for underrepresented STEM students on campus with national opportunities in resume building, mock interviews, mentorship and networking “with people who actually look like them in their field of interest,” according to the officers.
The proposal included supplementary funds to cover accommodations, meals, ground transportation, airfare and conference registration fees as NSBE currently has a request into the College of Engineering and Computer Science, as well as to external supporters such as Google. After hearing the proposal, Finance Committee Chair Scarlet Remer recommended USG provide $5,844 in travel funds, excluding airfare and meals. Both Diversity Committee Chair Rika Ruiz and Sustainability Committee Chair Rachel Bienstock indicated their committees may have additional funding opportunities for meal costs.
Following the NSBE presentation, Senator Lindsay Baker presented her draft Amendment 24 on Article 2 of the USG constitution. Her amendment would enable RSOs, the Diversity Committee, the Sustainability Committee and USG to utilize rollover funds from past academic years for one-time purchases. President Abbie McAdams explained there are thousands of dollars left over from the pandemic shutdown which could be used for good in the DU community to support student activities. As required by the USG constitution, the Amendment was tabled until Feb. 7, when the vote will take place.
The Senate also appointed and confirmed three new members. Ella Adugna, current treasurer of ASU and president of BSA, was affirmed as Executive Chair of Religious Life. While not present at the meeting, Adugna hopes to form a bridge between religious groups on campus, building off of experiences in the Pioneer Leadership Program and Affinity groups.
Griffin Young was also sworn in as Executive Chair of Interfraternity Council Relations (IFCR). As current Director of Public Relations for the Interfraternity Council (IFC), Young hopes to bridge communications between IFC, the Panhellenic Association and IFCR while dispelling negative connotations of IFCR across campus.
Both Senator Stephens and Butler questioned how Young intends to achieve such ambitious goals, particularly as many students are wary of assumed fraternity behaviors. Young responded that the misconduct of singular fraternity members is not representative of the whole IFC system and that as Executive Chair, Young would like to create Narcan and drug training opportunities for IFE members.
USG also confirmed Katherine Novicoff as the second Daniels College Senator. USG Vice President Shreya Surendra endorsed Novicoff, testifying to her work ethic and empathetic disposition. Novicoff expressed both her gratitude to be a part of USG as well as her ideas for the Daniels College, particularly with the business ethics boot camp, to involve more non-business student volunteers.
“I really admire what USG represents for the university, and this is a great opportunity to contribute to that,” Novicoff said.
During committee updates, Senator Dylan Lindsay provided updates on his meeting with facilities. Most notably, students are now able to input work orders for ice spots across campus. This new reporting system enhances current DU Facilities policy for guaranteed snow removal if there is more than one inch of snow accrual.
