ASI senate members convened to discuss re-planning Smorgasport, the possible removal of food trucks on campus and professional clothing donations on Wednesday during their weekly meeting.
Students who were looking forward to Smorgasport will be happy to hear that details of the new date for the on-campus festival are coming soon. As far as current events on campus, there is an on-going clothing drive where students can donate professional clothing they no longer need at Brotman Hall 250. These donated clothes will go to students in need of a professional outfit to wear to interviews and other formal engagements.
In response to the promotion of volleyball games at The Walter Pyramid, College of Liberal Arts representative Kieran Geralde said art is just as important as the athletics department. She encouraged students to show their school spirit by attending art shows on campus which are available four days a week in the Fine Arts buildings.
As the meeting moved on, College of Liberal Arts senator Stephanie Marquez mentioned the new food trucks situated on Upper Campus from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. will be removed from campus if sales quotas are not met. The school has to pay $1,000 per day for the food trucks to remain open.
ASI is also working on bringing a farmers market to campus every other Tuesday. Other food options on campus include Chillside Café, the dining halls and The Beach Hut, which will be brought back by the spring semester after being shut down during the pandemic.
The senate discussed at the end the possibility of giving exemptions to students who want to travel to other states for STEM and other research opportunities, but who are banned from doing so by the university’s travel ban, imposed by the state. The ban prohibits the use of college funds for travel to states that have passed a law limiting people’s rights based on their gender or sexual orientation. There is a growing number of states on this list, and this is limiting the ASI’s ability to award grants for research. Exemptions will be given on a case-by-case basis.