At campus council on Wednesday night, SGA Treasurer Summer White ’18 updated the room on a conversation she had with Treasurer of the College Kate Walker about divestment, prayer spaces and student wages. Block Party committee co-chairs Ariel Keller ’17 and Thomas Marsho ’17 as well as All Campus Events Chair Claudia Handal ’17 presented and got a budget approved for Block Party.
On divestment, White spoke about a procedure in process that Walker told her about involving a form that can be requested by all donors so that their money is opted out of investment in fossil fuels.
White also said that Scott Wilson, chief investment officer, is open to student input on where to invest the College’s funds.
On prayer spaces, White said that the College “in no way intended for Muslim and Hindu students to feel unwelcome and they realize their initial plan was flawed.” The short-term and potentially long-term location for the new CRSSJ will be a blue ranch house which was previously a home for college staff. The College is looking into separate prayer spaces that are not, and have never been used, as bathrooms.
On student wages, White said that the College is planning a student wage increase next semester, but no exact numbers have been stated.
Lastly, the Block Party committee presented their budget and were approved for $4,470.50. They are pushing a 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. time slot for offering food, because that is the period in which no students will be in exams. They will have Halal, gluten-free, lactose-free, peanut-free and vegan options.
According to Keller, they want to “urge people to take a break from their finals and having that be the push rather than the overconsumption of alcohol.”
