The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Senate convened for its fourth event of the spring semester on Sunday, March 2 in Robertson Hall, Bowl 016 to address a range of topics, including the 50th USG anniversary, Project Board updates, and proposed election rule changes. They also engaged in a detailed discussion on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) with University administrators.
USG President Enzo Kho ’26 opened the meeting with a series of general updates. He announced that a location had been secured for the 50th anniversary reunion, to be revealed later in the month. Unlike previous meetings, he chose not to reference the USG archives. Kho also underscored the importance of upcoming progress reports, reminding senators to prepare for a mid-March presentation that will delve into their respective initiatives.
Kho emphasized the potential for increased collaboration and improved communication strategies. “The communications team and I have been in content meetings over the past week,” said Kho. “We are continuing to think about how we go about improving our communication so that people are aware of the work that we are doing.”
Looking ahead, Kho outlined several key upcoming events, including a dinner with Vice President for Campus Life Rochelle Calhoun and committee chair presentations slated for March 23. He also mentioned upcoming meetings with University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83, highlighting ongoing dialogue between USG and University leadership.
The Senate then proceeded to a second vote on a constitutional amendment concerning the attendance policy, which had been discussed last meeting. The amendment successfully passed, officially amending the USG constitution to implement a more flexible attendance policy.
Project Board co-chairs Joanna Tafolla ’26 and Ava Seigel ’26 presented on USG’s funding process for student groups, including a pre-check approval process for groups seeking under $750, freeing up time for in-depth discussions with larger initiatives. They said that around $200,000 of funding had been requested over the course of the semester so far.
Seigel is a former assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Afterwards, Chief Elections Manager Alex Sorgini ’26 introduced a series of proposed changes to election rules, including eliminating a prohibition on excessive petitioning, reducing signature requirements for certain positions, and simplifying the expenditure report process. He also proposed a significant reduction in penalties for late expenditure report submissions, addressing concerns about the severity of current penalties.
The Senate then held a discussion on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) with administrators Andy Cofino and Shawn Maxam. Cofino is Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Belonging and Well-being in the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life, and Maxam is Associate Provost for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion. In lieu of speaking by the means of a formal presentation, Cofino and Maxam opted for a more open discussion-based format.
"I think they’re [diversity, equity, and inclusion] incredibly important values,” commented Maxam. “And so, I would say you are still allowed to have diversity equity inclusion chairs who are still able to use these words … it’s more important than ever that we talk about why these concepts are important to us as a Princeton community, and how they ensure that we’re able to do the important, groundbreaking teaching, learning and research on our campus.”
Upon being questioned on whether the University is refraining from using the term “equity,” Maxam noted that the University has a vice provost for institutional equity and diversity.
“I’m not sure that the omission of the word itself is always hyper-intentional. It might just be shorthand, but writ large, broadly, all of the principles and values sort of apply,” he said.
The meeting concluded a renewed invitation to contact USG leadership with any questions or concerns. There was no executive session on this occasion.
USG Meetings are open for all students to attend and are held on Sundays from 5–6 p.m. in Robertson Hall 016.
Andrew Arthur is a staff News writer from London, England and typically covers USG, CPUC, Princeton's institutional legacy, and administrative matters.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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