Too busy to stop by General Studies Student Council? No worries, resident Bwogger Andrew Chee skipped out on soup dumplings to bring you the rundown of the major topics discussed tonight.

Policy

An amendment to the bylaws was proposed to replace the impeachment process for appointed members of the council. As it currently stands, the impeachment process was a fairly public spectacle that generated a great deal of drama and hard feelings. Thus, the council successfully voted to revamp the process, implementing a six-week process consisting of the superior officer first meeting with the member, and then the full student council meeting with the member if the issues are not rectified. Finally, if no improvements are evident, the council can convene to privately impeach said member via unanimous vote.

Communication

Newly elected Alumni Affairs Rep Jessica Kim will be meeting the alumni relations team on Friday to throw some ideas about to engage alumni for Giving Day. Additionally, the Monthly Owl is still looking for submissions for upcoming events! If your organization has an upcoming event that you would like to promote, feel free to check the Weekly Raisa for the link to submit your event.

Campus Life

Many events finally have a date and time! The pep rally will be on October 19 at Butler lawn from 1 to 4 pm and will have free t-shirts, a marching band, and more. Next, the Shabbat dinner will take place later on the same day, October 19, in the GS lounge at 8:15 pm, and it will be open to all General Studies students. Lastly, the Lazy Halloween party at Mel’s has been scheduled for November 1 (time TBA) and it sounds like it’s gonna be a blast! GSSC is renting out Mel’s for the night, and there will be an unlimited hot food and milkshake bar, and a drink ticket. Entrance tickets for the event will $5, and subsidized tickets will be available as well. A motion for $6600 to be allocated toward Lazy Halloween (for the cost of renting the venue and providing the aforementioned goodies) was approved.

stouts are the best beer change my mind

Senior Class President

Senior Class President Stephen Ballew announced a senior class event: Oktoberfest! Oktoberfest will take place on the 27th in the plaza in front of East Campus from 1:30 to 4:30 pm. Additionally, GS seniors will be allowed to bring a +1 for this event and other events, in an effort to improve turnout at senior events. Stephen made a motion to allocate $230 toward senior class Oktoberfest steins from the senior class budget, which was approved. The steins will be given out to the first 100 students at Oktoberfest, so start lining up!

University Senator

Senator Jonathan Criswell gave general updates about progress toward relevant GS student issues, such as housing and students with disabilities. Jonathan is on the housing subcommittee in the Senate, as well as the students with disabilities subcommittee. He is working closely with a GS student who started a new club, Columbia University Students with Chronic Illnesses and Disabilities (CUSID), which is open to students from all colleges. Additionally, Jonathan noted that the Senate voted to approve the new Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies – which was also approved by the Board of Trustees. Lastly, he gave a shoutout to the Food Pantry’s Silent Auction being held on Wednesday, October 10, at 555 Lerner. Jonathan concluded by reiterating he is open and willing to discuss further collaboration on any aforementioned or relevant issues on the Senate, so do not be shy about emailing him if you want to reach out!

Appointments

Tech Chair – Yehudis Moskovits

What does a Tech Chair need to be successful? A plethora of skills! Yehudis has got that covered, as she is familiar with HTML, graphic design, video editing, social media, and more! What more could GSSC ask for?

Equity & Inclusion Chair – Giana Lozano

As a 1st generation college student herself, Giana is aware of the struggles many underserved students face. She is proposing guaranteed tutoring in the Academic Resource Center for students from underserved backgrounds, as well as guaranteed appointments with advisors during the first weeks of school when it can be difficult to navigate the maze of college life. Finally, she is proposing working with the career center to provide additional support for existing services for underserved students, such as rigorous resume assistance.

External Events Chair – Hannah Stolrow

A former professional ballerina, Hannah worked closely with the ballet company to host and coordinate events such as auctions and charities. Her experience working with vendors and organizing events makes her a prime candidate for External Events Chair!

This concludes GSSC for tonight! If you love and appreciate the council, stop by on Tuesday nights at 8:15pm in the Satow Room in Lerner and profess your undying love!

I wish I was drinking beer rn via Pixabay

Not stouts via Shutterstock