On the night before SGA elections opened, the University of Massachusetts Student Government Association convened for their weekly meeting.
The SGA revisited business regarding concerns about the current University Health Services (UHS) policy that only affords students the option to waive the Student Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) once every year. President Akshay Kapoor vetoed last week’s motion to allow students the right to waive the school health plan at the beginning of every semester.
The motion was sponsored by Senator David Morin – who is running for student trustee. It recommended that University Health Services modify webpages to include information about late waiver and passed unanimously in the Senate.
In his first week back from a leadership conference in the nation’s capital, Kapoor stressed the joint responsibility students and administration share in upholding the integrity of the University. With the recent arrests of six UMass students in North Amherst on Saturday afternoon during the annual “Blarnery Blowout,” Kapoor saw it as timely to emphasize improving the University’s reputation.
“The events of this past weekend are the creation of the town of Amherst. While students may attend such events in the downtown bars or off campus, it is the town and businesses that have promoted such events and not the University,” said Kapoor.
He believes he has seen a positive, “observable change in the overall student behavior.”
Both the president and school officials have teamed up with the Northwestern District Attorney’s office in an attempt to create an educational approach to improve student behavior, one that makes students more aware of their rights.
In line with this effort, the Judicial Advisors announced plans to release a bill of rights to the campus community that would make students more aware of their rights as opposed relying solely on the code of student conduct.
Also on the table was the allocation of funds to two Registered Student Organizations, The Center for Education Policy and Advocacy (CEPA) and the UMass Western Riding Team.
The SGA allocated an amended total of $4,934 to CEPA to fund registration, travel and lodging at the upcoming 2013 Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. which lasts from March 14-18. The group, composed of 14 undergraduate students, will take part in workshops and seminars in the areas of advocacy and networking.
Chairman of the Finance Committee Oliver Thibault believes funding the trip will bring an immediate return to the student community, saying that the “CEPA plays a pivotal role in student advocacy for the University as a whole”.
The SGA unanimously voted in favor of the allocation of of $4,000 to the UMass Western Riding Team as they travel to California Polytechnic State University on March 22 for the equestrian semifinals. The team is sending four riders to the competition, the most in the organization’s history.
Another item on the agenda was the proposed expansion of the UMass Bike Share Program. Secretary of Sustainability Will Raich pointed out that the program’s sole location at the Student Union forces students to walk to the center of campus before being able to rent a bike. The proposed expansion would place another location near the Southwest tunnel, one equipped with automated UCard operated lockers.
The Bike Share Program provides a free service for all members of the campus community and is part of a broader campus sustainability initiative.
Another sustainability item appeared on Monday night’s agenda, as Senator Mike Cusher and the Secretary of Sustainability sponsored a recommendation for the Foundation Investment Committee to divest completely from their stake in fossil fuel companies. The proposal passed, with a rare roll-call vote, and 18 supporters in the Senate.
The meeting closed with the appointment of David Letters as Secretary of Veteran Affairs. Letters is a member of the International Guard and a double major in Journalism and Sociology.
Eric Bosco can be reached at [email protected].
