Photo Courtesy of Catherine Neumeister ‘25
By Katie Goss ’23
Business Manager & News Editor
Before Senate started on Tuesday, Nov. 9, senators were asked to sit with their commission groups so they could work together towards the end of the meeting. Kim Kindred FP ’24, the senator for the Western Equestrian Team, read the land acknowledgement before the meeting began with updates from the E-Board.
EJ Jankovic ’23, the chair of halls, updated senators on a few requests made in previous meetings. There will now be gluten free dessert options available at the Dining Commons classics station by request. Additionally, lawn care and facilities work will begin at 9:00 a.m. when possible, instead of the previous time of 8:00 a.m.
Students who currently live in Merrill House will be receiving an email regarding the situation for housing for next semester. In light of the new policy allowing Mount Holyoke students to swipe into all residential dorms, between certain hours, Louise Olivier ’23, the senator for Merrill House, expressed concern for students living at Merrill House not having access to all residential halls beyond those hours. She stated that if any of those students missed the last bus back, they have no access to any other dorm at that time, and have nowhere to sleep.
Some updates about the Testing Center were also announced, particularly about the week of Thanksgiving. There will be only one test required during the holiday week, during Monday, Nov. 22, or Tuesday, Nov. 23, with normal testing resuming the following week. There is also a form that students can fill out if they plan to miss a test, in order to inform the testing center of their absence. However, the form is not mandatory.
Senate then entered the open floor portion of the evening, in order to allow senators to make comments, voice concerns, ask questions or inform others of events happening. Peregrine Conroy-Baarsch ’23, senator for the Class Board of 2023, reminded everyone about the RingPops and Roses event for juniors, taking place on Saturday, Nov. 13, in the Blanchard Great Room.
The senator for Active Minds informed everyone that because counseling services is currently experiencing a high demand for appointments, the center will switch to an open-access support system on Nov. 24. This is to ensure that all students have a chance to use these services during the final few weeks of the semester. Although the schedule will be cleared, the E-Board emphasized that people with existing appointments can still go, just without an official appointment, and that resources are not being taken away.
Shira Sadeh ’25, senator for south Creighton, brought up the discussion surrounding free menstrual products being placed in bathrooms across campus. Nina Brothers ’24, senator for Glee Club, said that as a member of the Planned Parenthood Generative Action group, the group works to put free products in bathrooms around campus, and they are working on that in the near future. Additionally, she informed senators that PPGA has a free menstrual product order form that allows students to fill out the form for what they need, and have the products delivered to their mailbox in Auxiliary Services with no charge and no “strings attached.”
After the open floor portion, senators turned to their commission groups and got to work. Each group was tasked with creating a petition, or an idea for a petition, having to do with the goal their group is trying to achieve. Jankovic reminded senators that their petition goals must be achievable, and gave a few examples of non-achievable and achievable goals.
Kijua Sanders-McMurtry, vice president for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, will be at the next senate meeting to discuss a survey that will be sent out to all students soon. It will not be an official town hall, but an “informal preview” to what a town hall will look like with faculty, staff and administration.
Senate closed with a reminder that there will be no meeting on Nov. 23, as it is the week of Thanksgiving, and that the last senate meeting of the semester will be held on Nov. 30.