UGBC will hold a review board during the winter to evaluate its constitution, SA members said in their meeting on Tuesday.
“We’re trying to find moments where we could, as an organization, run more efficiently and more smoothly,” said Joshua Golden, SA representative and member of the Community Relations Committee. “We’re going through the constitution thinking we may need these protocols there, but how can we change them so they better reflect the work that we’re doing?”
According to Julia Spagnola, UGBC vice president and MCAS ’23, the constitution serves as the “structural organization of UGBC,” defining different branch functions and their purposes.
“Then, if you look at the standing rules, that’s something that mostly pertains to the student assembly, how we operate, and what the procedures are for things,” Spagnola said. “Some of [the standing rules] are worthwhile and worth keeping, but I think other things are worth taking a look at.”
According to Golden and Johah Kotzen, the Council for Students with Disabilities policy coordinator and MCAS ’24, members of the UGBC Executive Board and the SA will suggest changes to improve efficiency and condense the documents at the review. The SA will then vote on the proposed changes in the spring semester.
Following explanations of the review board’s logistics, Julie Canuto-Depina, SA representative and CSON ’25, discussed the Intersectionality Committee’s ongoing initiative to reduce the minimum amount of money students can add to their Eagle One accounts, which are used to pay for laundry, printing, and dining services.
According to Canuto-Depina, the committee hopes to reduce the amount from $20 to $5. She said this would make topping up Eagle One accounts more convenient.
“As of right now, the IT department has something it’s testing, and they’re looking to have it ready by spring semester,” Canuto-Depina said. “Here, money would be charged to their student account and they can use that money to do their laundry as opposed to charging their Eagle One card.”
SA representatives then deliberated about BC’s PULSE program. While students in the program receive Charlie Cards to fund transportation to their service placements, Daniel Wise, MCAS ’25, said the T is still unfeasible for some students—either taking too long or not traveling to the necessary locations.
“So, of course, I pay out of pocket for Uber and things like that,” Wise, a SA representative, said. “And over the course of the semester and the year that comes up to a lot, and I think it’s pretty unfair that students have to pay more for such a popular academic program.”
SA representatives proposed potential alternatives to the current transportation system for pulse, such as the University providing Lyft rides to PULSE placements, using Eagle Escort for transportation, and consulting with other intercollegiate governments experiencing similar dilemmas.
Caira Mathieu, MCAS ’23, spoke last, concluding the meeting by explaining a mental health self-assessment survey she created to help students assess their mental health and gauge student engagement with University Counseling Services. SA members and Matthieu said they hope to collaborate in tabling events to promote the survey around campus.
