The Student Government Association (SGA) meeting on Monday, Oct. 21, had guest speakers from the Coalition of Christian Outreach (CCO) present to discuss emergency funding from the club.
CCO requested an appeal for funding regarding Operation Christmas Child, which is an event the club hosts yearly. Operation Christmas Child is an event where all students on campus are invited to put together boxes filled with items like toys, personal care items and other donated items which will then be donated to Samaritan’s Purse.
Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian organization that helps those affected by poverty around the world in the name of Jesus.
CCO originally requested $2,036.62 to help fund the event. The club only received $127.86 in funding from SGA. This was due to the fact that SGA cannot fund things that are for giveaways.
“If you want to hold an event where people donate things, then people need to bring donations for the event, but we cannot actually supply the donations themselves,” said Sen. Madigan Balfe.
The vote for the appeal was 0 – 9 against approving the appeal for more funds.
“You could say we’re disappointed, but rules are rules,” said Christian Wege a representative from CCO. “We understand and are appreciative of SGA’s willingness to help us out in this situation.”
During the meeting, SGA also discussed fund reallocation for the Asian American Pacific Islander Union (AAPI). AAPI hoped to have a White Elephant potluck in place of a different event previously planned, using the same amount of funding.
SGA approved the reallocation with a vote of 13 – 0.
A different club requested emergency funding. Black Student Union (BSU) was one of the clubs that had not received any funding originally. BSU was asked by SGA to go back and revise its request. Its original request was $1,647.87, which has been cut down to $1,179.51.
SGA Treasurer Elliot Geary said that BSU’s new requested amount is well within their budget.
The emergency funding was approved with a vote of 13 – 0.
Outside of club funding, SGA members Christian Rangel and Riley Mahon attended an open house for the Plastics Collaborative, which is a branch of Humane Action Pittsburgh that focuses on reducing and eliminating single use plastics.
“Something notable about the open house is a lot of people have connections to Point Park,” Rangel said.
Rangel and Mahon had the opportunity to talk to its program director, Moses Wamalwa, where they discussed the possibility of a collaboration with the campus’ Young Eco Socialist Club to educate students. They also discussed the possibility of someone from Plastics Collaborative coming to SGA to talk in the future.
Additionally, during the meeting, President Pro Tempore Robert Fornataro mentioned on his way to the library today he was punched by a man he didn’t know.
“It genuinely just happened, so I didn’t know what to do,” Fornataro said. “It wasn’t super powerful, but it still hurt and obviously shouldn’t have happened.
Michael Gieseke, dean of student life, said to call public safety because there are cameras along the way that will help identify the man who punched Fornataro.
“That goes for anybody, and, if nothing else, it’s on the record,” Gieseke said.
Members of SGA plan to meet with Chief Besong from the campus police department to discuss safety and other issues on campus.
SGA meetings occur every Monday at 3:15 p.m. on the bottom floor of the Student Center. All students are encouraged to attend.
Correction: Last week, the Globe reported that SGA requested $12,657.54 for the clubs and the clubs only received $7,515.92. The clubs requested $12,657.54, not the SGA, and the SGA only granted $7,515.92.
