GSSC’s agenda included a call to action for ECAC members, an SGA binder update, a tree lighting update, and more.

Welcome back to in-person meetings, GSSC! This week, GSSC met back in the Satow Room for the first time since March 7, 2020. Spirits were high as GSSC members saw each other face-to-face, broke out a make-believe gavel, and voted by raising their hands instead of the various Zoom methods tried. Of course, GSSC passed around a microphone to allow members and spectators to tune in via Zoom.

Student Body President, Serengeti Timungwa (GS ’22), started the meeting by reviewing GSSC’s meeting schedule going forward, planning ECAC engagement encouragement (that’s a mouthful), and updating GSSC on SGA’s binder giveaway. First, GSSC will continue to meet in a hybrid format for the rest of the semester except for Tuesday, November 23, which will be on Zoom only. Next, Timungwa informed GSSC that they will need to appoint ECAC (Elections Commission Appointment Committee) next month. In years past, GSSC has struggled to fill these roles, and many candidates have run unopposed. Timungwa hopes to avoid this by starting the process early so that they will begin on November 23. Finally, Timungwa announced that seven GS students applied for the SGA binder giveaway! GSSC will cover the cost of the binder for students who applied. Also, if other schools have a surplus of applicants, GSSC plans to cover the cost of binders for those students.

There were no updates from the Policy Committee.

The Communications Committee announced that after a long and difficult battle with their old Facebook account, they have conceded and decided to create a new account that they ask GS students to follow for updates on GSSC.

There were no updates from the Finance Committee.

Vice President of Campus Life, Cole Wagner (GS ’22), announced that the Tree Lighting ceremony will happen in person this year. For those unfamiliar, which included me up until this meeting, the Tree Lighting Ceremony is a Columbia tradition during which College Walk lights up, carolers sing, donuts are given out, and the whole campus drags themselves out of the Butler abyss for a festive moment. Wagner asked the Communications Committee to amp up promo to get as many GS students there as possible, specifically to get their donuts and mugs, which apparently go quite fast.

University senator, Jeremy Wahl, announced that the Student Affairs Committee is now fully staffed. He also highlighted three goals from the Communications and Transparency Committee:

• Update the senate website.
• Work with legislative aid and the IGB chair to revitalize the IGB.
• Start a quarterly town hall meeting that should launch next semester.

The Student Affairs Committee will also send out a survey next semester to gauge overall student well-being.

There were four proposals at the end of the meeting, all of which passed. In total, these proposals add up to the allocation of $13,700 of GSSC funds, making tonight a big-spending night.

A large portion of this money, $10,000, will fund the Senior Mixer on Friday, December 3rd. The high cost is partly due to the plan to serve alcohol, which requires GSSC to hire Columbia Catering only. That said, since GSSC did not get to host a Welcome Back event this year for seniors, the mixer may be seniors’ only chance for events of this nature, especially for those graduating in February.

$400 will go to a Hannukah candle-lighting ceremony in the Dodge tent on December 2. The money will go towards both the cost of candles and Kosher snacks for the event.

$600 will go towards a Friendsgiving celebration in the GS lounge on Thanksgiving day for those staying near Morningside Heights for the holiday. Morton Williams will cater the event as they offer traditional Thanksgiving foods, with dietary accommodations available, of course, in large, to-go style containers.

Finally, $2,700 will purchase Metro Cards for GS students. These will include 100 round trip cards for GS students who need to travel for various school-related events, such as museum trips for classes, and 50 sixteen-trip cards for GS students who commute, which will be given out based on need.

GSSC continued drafting its letter of support for the strike and asked GSSC members to reach out if they would like to add anything. Next week, GSSC will plan for upcoming events as well as likely address the strike further.

GSSC Header via Bwog Archives