SGA Senate Spotlight 3/30/22: Diverse Presentations and Exciting Event Updates
A recap of last week’s Student Senate meeting, including presentations from the Muslim Student Association, Latinx Student Union and Chinese Language and Culture Club, along with exciting updates for Dance Club and Chess Club events.
Grace Reynolds | greynolds@butler.edu
Last Wednesday, March 30th, the Student Senate met for their weekly meeting to review all of the current activity occurring on Butler’s campus. During this meeting, a variety of clubs came in with grant presentations to fund their upcoming events and end of the year celebrations.
To start the meeting, Kate Rashevich went over the SGA 2022 Scholarships which will be awarded over the next few weeks. There will be ten $1,000 scholarships handed out to leaders of Butler student organizations. Anyone who wishes to apply must submit an application by the end of this week via the email that was sent to all officially sponsored, Engage-registered organizations.
Next, to kick off the grant presentations, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) began by requesting a grant for their upcoming Ramadan simulation event. MSA aims to create cooperation, understanding, diversity and equity in the greater Butler community surrounding the Muslim religion, while educating and clearing any misconceptions about the community. They currently have 40 members and meet every Friday for Jummahs - Muslim prayer meetings - in addition to monthly meetings and outreach events. Some of their events this year have included a MSA bonfire, Ask-a-Muslim and Fast-a-Thon. This particular Ramadan event that they are requesting a grant for is intended to help simulate fasting and feasting for non-Muslims to build understanding. The event will include a full, authentic Muslim fast-breaking feast and will take place at 7:45pm on April 11th in the Reilly Room.
The second club to present was the Latinx Student Union (LSU). They currently have 43 members and host six Hispanic Heritage Month events along with three Dia De Los Muertos Events. Their goal is to cultivate a community space for Latinx students - the second largest student population at Butler - by facilitating conversations and creating connections. They requested a grant for their upcoming Latinx graduation - the first to be held at Butler University - which will support sixteen Latinx students. To create an authentic experience, there will be a Mariachi band, Hispanic food and traditional take-home centerpieces at the event. The grant also covers costs for a photographer and graduation stoles.
Following the Latinx Student Union’s presentation, the Dance Club asked for a grant to fund their next season of performances. The club brings together dancers of all abilities and experience levels to put on two performances a semester: one showcase and one classical ballet. They have 84 members, 45 of whom perform in their showcase. The grant they requested would cover all costumes, the venue space and photographers.
Chess Club presented next, asking for a grant to cover new chess equipment. Chess Club is geared towards providing a fun, casual environment to allow everyone to learn and grow while developing their analytical and logic skills. They have over 80 members. This grant would allow them to purchase chess clocks, chess bags and new, nicer chess sets.
Finally, Chinese Language and Culture Club asked for a grant to support their end of the year event. They have 29 members and act as a platform to encourage students to investigate their interest in the Chinese language. For their End of the Year Event, they plan on hosting a traditional Chinese meal celebration.
After the presentations concluded, the Senate voted on each individual grant and passed all with a unanimous vote. In addition to the grants from this week, a resolution supporting Bulldogs for Universal Design was also passed; this will create a partnership between Bulldogs for Universal Design and SGA to help make Butler’s campus more accessible.
To conclude the meeting, each Senate committee gave a brief update and individuals made announcements regarding upcoming events, such as the Out of the Darkness Walk that occurred this past Sunday. Over the next few weeks some other events to look forward to include, the Red Cross Blood Drive and Interfaith at the Fountain on April 4th.
The Student Senate will meet again this week on Wednesday, April 6th in the Reilly Room at 7pm. Every meeting is open to any member of the student body to sit in and listen.