SGA passes Hopkins Got Talent Funding Bill

The Student Government Association (SGA) held its weekly general body meeting on March 7 to discuss the Roast Off Funding Bill, Portrait for Student Memorial Funding Bill, Hopkins Got Talent Funding Bill, Black Caucus Tabling Funding Bill and the SGA Accessibility Standards Bill. They also presented on the Multimedia Art Showcase Report, Crab Fest presentation and Hopthon tabling. 

Multimedia Art Showcase

Sophomore Class President Ryan Chou presented the results of the Multimedia Art Showcase, which was an Instagram competition that occurred in January and February. 

• The event had four winners who won blue jay plushies for their work.
• Chou described the purpose of the showcase. “The Multimedia Art Showcase was just an effort of our class council to highlight some of our visual artists,” he said.
• When discussing places for improvement, Chou highlighted the importance of advertising. “The main thing we will keep in mind for future iterations is more time for submissions and advertising more to increase participants,” he said.

Crab Feast and Phi Delta

Junior Philanthropy Chair Derek Wang and junior Philanthropy Co-Chair Clement Adedeji proposed a Crab Fest as a culinary celebration of Maryland foods and community. Phi Delta hopes to create a staple philanthropy event for the Hopkins community. 

• Crab Fest would include various Baltimore vendors sharing food with members who purchase a ticket to enter. Profit would go to supporting those with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), specifically the Live Like Lou Foundation.
• Wang explained the importance of the event. “One of our biggest missions is serving local families impacted by ALS across the nation,” he said.
• Sophomore Class Senator Jackson Morris asked about non-meat options, and Wang explained that the tentative budget accounts for non-meat options.
• Senior Class Senator Jeffrey Ding asked what the forecasted number of participants was based on. Wang and Adedeji explained that Phi Delta itself has 60 members, and they anticipate strong interest because many people have not been to a crab fest.
• Sophomore Class Senator Dalhart Dobbs noted that $40 tickets will be inaccessible to many students, citing a Camp Kesem event with $45 tickets that had a low turnout.
• Senior Class Senator Ayisat Adegbindin asked what one ticket would include. Wang explained that this will encompass four to five dishes from which attendees can choose.
• Wang addressed concerns about funding future events. “We'll probably request funding from SGA [in the future], but we'll also start looking at the different avenues so this event can be a little more self-sustainable,” he said.
• A funding bill will follow shortly.

Hopthon tabling

Dobbs discussed the prospect of SGA hosting a table at Hopthon at the end of April. Hopthon is an outdoor event with various games and activities, and all profit supports the Children’s Miracle Network. 

• Advisor Rebecca Walsh recommended SGA create a fundraising team to have a greater impact. 
• Senator Morris proposed a pie event where students can pie an SGA member. Senior Class Senator Elisa Rodriguez noted that other organizations will be doing pie events, including PILOT.

Accessibility Standards Bill

Secretary Elaina Regier and Junior Class Senator Ireland Parrish introduced a bill that aims to create better accessibility practices for students with disabilities in SGA.

• Junior Class Senator Shalala Leny asked if any accommodations would go on students’ records. Regier clarified this would not be an issue.
• The bill passed unanimously.

Roast Off Funding Bill

The Roast Off Funding Bill provides funds for the Puerto Rican Student Association to host a roast-off. The event will invite multicultural clubs to participate in a cooking competition with supplies provided. The total amount of funding requested is $1,445.

• The bill passed unanimously.

Portrait for Student Memorial Bill

Introduced by Chou, the Portrait for Student Memorial Bill aims to remember sophomore Saeeda Osei Frimpong who passed away earlier in the year. The $80 of requested funding will allow the Black Student Union to present a portrait of Frimpong to her family during the memorial ceremony. 

• The bill was passed unanimously.

Hopkins Got Talent Funding Bill

Chou presented the Hopkins Got Talent Funding Bill on behalf of sophomore Ashish Nalla. The bill requests $2,810 for putting on a campus-wide talent show. 

• Morris proposed an amendment to eliminate cash prizes and replace them with merchandise from the bookstore.
• The bill and amendment passed unanimously.

Black Caucus Tabling Funding Bill

The Black Caucus Tabling Funding Bill introduced by Junior Class Senator Shalala Leny will provide supplies for the Black Caucus’ tabling event on March 27. The bill includes activity supplies and prize costs.

• The bill was passed unanimously.

Editor’s note: Milton Diaz is a Marketing Manager for The News-Letter and Resham Talwar is a Finance Manager for The News-Letter. They did not contribute to the reporting, writing or editing of this article.