PSGA Blog Number 12: Funds Proposals, Culture Shock, Zombie Prom, and More.

The PSGA met on Wednesday, Feb. 18 with a packed agenda including financial proposals, Culture Shock updates, room assignments, and other new business. By the end of the meeting, the Senate had spent $7,470 in approved stipends, funds, and reimbursements.

Allocations included reimbursing the Purchase College Association $1,620, transferring $400 to the Service Board, awarding a $700 semester stipend to The Brick Assistant Editor Kylie Jane Wakefield, approving $1,750 to Diversity Coordinator Rosa Jaffe for an “Undoing Racism Seminar,” and reimbursing Major Events Coordinator Jeff Levin $3,000 after the PSGA used the money to accommodate its printer malfunctions. Officials said that all new funds would be taken from the PSGA’s general reserve.

MEC Jeff Levin held a Culture Shock meeting Tuesday night and described it as fraudulent when he told the Senate about his committee voting to remove hardcore band Every Time I Die from the lineup. He said he didn’t think the system in place was effective because some of the students who voted seemed to have their own agenda.

Levin said he would not be holding another MEC meeting until he could figure out a new means of conducting them without committee members motioning to remove bands that didn’t appeal to them. “I’m only trying to satisfy the entire campus with my lineup and I can’t do that if bands get voted off this late,” he said.

The MEC said he planned on spending nearly $45,000 on performances and has only booked around $25,000 worth of talent so far. He also planned on printing T-shirts for the yearly festival and hiring concert security to handle the areas surrounding the stage.

General Programming Coordinator Becky Sellinger confirmed Zombie Prom for Friday, April 3 in the Stood. She said performers included 999 Eyes Freak show, The Hungry March Band, and Skeleton Breath.

Sellinger also said that the Roller Disco would be on Friday, April 24 in the Stood. However, due to lack of funds, she and Jessica Goodwin would need to contribute money to the event.

Chair of the Senate Russ Zambito said he chose not to appoint a proxy parliamentarian for the meeting due to the amount of important financial votes taking place. He also said he was working to make the position of Parliamentarian an internship.

Zambito attended the first Purchase College Association meeting of the semester on Tuesday afternoon and said that important matters regarding the Dining Hall were discussed. “The PCA said that only 8 percent of the college eats at the Dining Hall during the week and they were thinking about either cutting hours or closing the facility at least one day a week,” he said.

Assistant Director for Residence Life Koreen Kerfoot attended the meeting and explained to the Senate the new methods of room assignments becoming effective next month. She said that the process was going to be done completely online this year and the first deadline for squatting in apartments was March 9th.

PSGA President Joe Matoske said he met with Purchase College President Thomas Schwarz and confirmed that they were working on resolving issues surrounding practice room availability in the music building. According to Matoske, some studio composition majors were having difficulty securing practice rooms and other students were disrespecting the rooms being assigned to them.

Matoske also said that the Ad-Hoc Copyright Research Committee established a meeting time for Wednesdays at 11 a.m.

The meeting concluded with new business from Senators. Senator Kylie Jane Wakefield of Humanities said she had a meeting with Dean Yelin to discuss asbestos and other issues in the Humanities building. Senator James Blinstrub of Commuters said he was close to completing the installation of bike racks on Purchase buses with help from the PCA. Blinstrub also said that he helped install life-size chess and jenga with Astroturf floors in the Stood.