USG senate addresses accessibility of campus recreation, new referenda

The Undergraduate Student Government senate discussed making campus recreation more accessible and the Bicker referendum during its weekly meeting on March 29.

USG has been working with Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Campus Recreation David Leach ’88 to provide more convenient access to the fitness center by adding a side door, chief designer William Aung ’18 said.

“We broached the subject of having other entries to Stephens Fitness Center, and after talking to him, he didn’t really seem to be in support of it now, because of the way that it’s constructed,” Aung explained. “Right now, we’ll probably table that for next spring.”

Aung noted that there will be a construction on the A floor in the future, when accessibility to the fitness center could potentially change.

According to Aung, Leach also suggested creating an outdoor recreational space and providing funding for students on financial aid for fitness activities.

“I think we need to keep student priorities in mind,” U-councilor Dallas Nan ’16 said. “I know the desire was to look into more access to the Stephens Center. I know these are projects [Leach] wants to work on, but I think we should be cognizant of whether students would want this.”

The major budgetary concern related to adding an entrance at the side is the need to hire someone to man the new entryway, Aung said.

The senate referendum regarding Bicker will be put to a vote on March 30,chief elections manager Grant Golub ’17 said, adding the results will be released by noon on Friday.

Golub is a staff writer and staff copy editor for The Daily Princetonian.

Another referendum about divestment from firms that benefit from the Israeli occupation of the West Bank is in the making, he noted.

“Just to be clear, USG does not take a stance as a body about these two referenda,” President Ella Cheng ’16said, adding that USG is obligated to follow whatever the majority of the voting students decide.

Cheng is a former staff writer for the 'Prince.'

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When asked if either of these referenda go through, and if the majority of the voters agree but that majority represents only a small percentage of the whole population, U-Council chair Zhan Okuda-Lim ’15said USG is obligated to form an ad hoc committee and take action if the Bicker referendum were to pass.

For the divestment referendum, on the other hand, there is no provision for the USG senate to do anything, he added. Instead, the opinion of the undergraduates would be passed onto the trustees of the University and PRINCO.

The senate also voted to approve a retroactive fund request for the South Asian Student Association dance competition event that took place on March 28. Projects Board co-chair Naman Jain ’17 presented the request.

“Currently in the Senate Constitution, it makes very clear that Projects Board cannot grant or approve an expenditure of over $1,000 of USG senate allocated funds until you’ve gotten approval from the senate,” Okuda-Lim said. “Retroactive approval ties our hands.”

Cheng said that she will be meeting with executive director of Campus Dining Smitha Haneef in the coming week.

This meeting is not specifically focused on students with special dining needs, Cheng said.

“In terms of communication with groups with very specific stakes in food, from my understanding, [Haneef] actually meets very regularly,” Cheng said.

Treasurer Hunter Dong ’17 said USG should publicize opportunities for interested students to share their ideas with Campus Dining.

Dong also presented a recap of February spending of the senate. Major expenses for the month included Mental Health Week programming, the Leadership Education and Diversity Summit and the concert series.