USG discusses virtual Street Week, referenda process at penultimate meeting

In its meeting earlier this week, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Senate heard an overview of virtual Street Week — the process by which students can join eating clubs this semester — and discussed next steps for implementing two recently-passed referenda.

Street Week will be entirely virtual and will span two weeks, from Jan. 24 to Feb. 5, instead of the usual one week. The Interclub Council (ICC) has sent several emails to the Class of 2023 to keep students informed about the timeline and the bicker and sign-in processes.

“Hopefully, sophomores are well informed about the general bicker process,” ICC President Karthik Ramesh ’21 said in the meeting.

In one of her final reports, USG president Chitra Parikh ’21, whose term ends next week, handed the floor to USG Parliamentarian Kate Liu ’23 to discuss the next steps in implementing two USG referenda.

A referendum calling for the University to divest from fossil fuels and another calling for an Election Day holiday both passed overwhelmingly in the University’s 2020 Winter Elections.

Members of the USG Senate have drafted position papers on the referenda, which will explain the demands and the support for them to the University administration on behalf of the student body. This is the next step in the process of enacting the contents of each referenda, according to USG members.

As an initial step in this process, the Senate will vote on whether to approve the papers in USG’s next weekly meeting.

During the meeting, USG Movies Chair Julie Kim ’21 announced plans for virtual daily viewing parties in coordination with the Office of Wintersession and Campus Engagement. During the week of Jan. 24, USG will stream movies via Canvas and Zoom that will be free for all undergraduate students to watch. There will also be a chat option available for students to socialize virtually.

USG Chief Elections Manager Lehman Montgomery ’22 gave a report on the progress of the Student Groups Recognition Committee (SGRC) during the fall semester. The SGRC met six times in the fall to review and approve the formation of 39 student groups. The list of approved clubs will be published with Parikh’s report, which will be emailed to all undergraduate students, according to Montgomery.

USG Vice President Ashwin Mahadevan ’22 discussed some of the University’s arrival and quarantine protocols with the Senate. He specifically highlighted the COVID Connector Hotline, a resource for the entire University community to use to answer questions regarding all aspects of the campus quarantine policy. The hotline is reachable by phone at 609-258-7000 or by email at covidconnector@princeton.edu during University business hours.

The meeting was held via Zoom at 9:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Jan. 17.

Head News Editor Caitlin Limestahl contributed reporting.