Boston University Student Government heard committee, cabinet, executive board and budget updates in its final meeting of the semester Monday night.
The meeting began with committee updates, who shared their progress with StuGov.
The Representation Oversight Committee updated StuGov on their petition to rename Myles Standish Hall, which they sent to administration two weeks ago. Representation Oversight Committee Chair Adam Shamsi said ROC is still waiting on a response from the University.
The Food Equality, Accountability, Sustainability and Transparency committee shared that after their F.E.A.S.Tival event, they raised $549 to food rescue organization Lovin’ Spoonfuls in Newton. The donation equates to over 1,000 pounds of food rescued from local resources.
Other committees revealed plans for the end of the semester and preparations for Spring.
The Mental Health Committee shared plans for an event called You Before BU at the George Sherman Union Link with free Red Bull and wellness kits on Dec. 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. The committee also plans to host an exclusive College of General Studies welcome event next semester to ease the transition for new students.
The Expect More Committee said they created a survey to poll students on the possibility of extending GSU hours for finals period, which is currently available to fill out on StuGov’s Instagram.
The use of the emailed monthly newsletter had made getting a large sample size easier, said Richard Segalman, chair of Expect More Committee and senior in Questrom School of Business.
“This semester, we’ve seen a dramatic uptick in responses. The first one sent out got 100 responses and that was the president’s email, so clearly that’s an effective way of getting surveys out there,” Segalman said at the meeting. “It’s clearly a lot more effective and it’s less annoying for the student body.”
Cabinets also shared their updates, mostly focusing on continuing projects over time.
The Engagement Department said they were continuing to focus on planning more affinity group student mixers on campus. The Environmental Affairs Department discussed potential beautification projects on campus and a pilot program for free laundry detergent sheets on campus next semester.
Other committees like the City Affairs Department shared plans for a food festival on Jan. 21 as part of Winter Weeks of Welcome, and the Events Department promoted a cocoa study session on Dec. 7.
The meeting ended with updates from the Fight to BU Executive Board, who won their StuGov positions with a platform of environment, empowerment and engagement.
The eboard said they had already accomplished many of their goals in each area, including a clothing drive, a peer support program and regular student body emails, among other objectives.
They added some goals were not possible upon discussion with administration, which included a textbook exchange and a partnership with Blue Bikes.
Eboard said despite these obstacles, only two goals were ruled not viable, allowing the executive board to continue with future plans, like community outreach town halls and collaboration with Scarlet Safewalk.
“It’s just really great to see such motivated people actually doing very tangible things for the community,” said Student Body President Dhruv Kapadia, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences.“It’s just incredible work, and I’m so happy to be with all of you.”
