Former members of congress address SGA

The Student Government Association (SGA) passed a bill requesting funding for the Big Blue Jay Tailgate, introduced by Junior Class Senator Alberto “Pepe” Muniz, at its weekly meeting on Tuesday in McCoy Hall. Co-sponsored by Beta Theta Pi and the SGA, the Big Blue Jay Tailgate will take place on Sept. 17 on the freshman quad. The event will cost roughly $961 in total, with SGA contributing about $500 and Beta Theta Pi contributing the remainder of the cost.

“We’ve done this for the past three years, and it’s always very good and very well-received,” Muniz said. “The reason we do the event is because we want to promote school spirit. We go to the football game afterwards, and it just gets the students excited about athletics at Hopkins.”

SGA voted unanimously to pass a second bill, sponsored by Sophomore Class Senator Nina D’Amiano, which requested SGA funding for the Center for Health Education and Wellness’s (CHEW) initiative to provide free condoms to students on campus. CHEW’s program will cost $916 annually.

“I checked with the president of the Public Health Student Forum, and they will be fixing and replacing condom dispensers as well,” D’Amiano said. “The health of students on this campus is an important interest of the SGA, and we think this is an appropriate use of funds.”

The SGA also voted unanimously to approve the nominees for the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) and Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Curriculum Committees. Seniors Jonathan Loewenberg and Clay Zou, sophomore Stephanie Klaskin and Sophomore Class Senator Jennifer Baron were the nominees for the KSAS Curriculum Committee, while Senior Class Senators Andrew Phipps and Adelaide Morphett, Senior Class President Syed Hossain and junior Anna Rittenburg were the nominees for WSE.

Additionally, former congressmen Nick Rahall and Cliff Stearns addressed the SGA as part of IDEAL’s Congress to Campus program, which brings former legislators university and community college campuses for two day visits.

Rahall served as a Democratic Congressman of West Virginia from 1977 to 2015, while Stearns served as a Republican Congressman of Florida from 1989 to 2013. The congressmen discussed their experiences in American politics and answered questions about bipartisanship, gun control and the future of the two-party political system.

Congressmen Rahall complimented the SGA and encouraged the students to further their involvement in student government.

“I want to commend each of you, because what I’ve seen here tonight is an involvement in student government affairs and a good, excellent turnout,” Rahall said. “I was a part of student government at Duke University, but boy, we did not have this turnout, we did not have this enthusiasm, and we did not have this transparency that you seem to exhibit here this evening. I salute you for your involvement, and please, please, please keep it up. Keep it up, get more involved and look at running for public office.”