SG Update 2/17

Alison Prengaman, director of finance, gave a presentation on the status of the Student Government (SG) budget for the semester. SG started with a budget of $232,878 from student activity fees and will have an estimated $5,000 left in May with all of the spendings that are currently planned. Money that is not used will be put in the campus life reserves which will be used by the university for different clubs, initiatives and facilities improvements.  

A PawPrints petition that asked for Elon Musk to be the Commencement Speaker for next year cannot be completed by SG as they have nothing to do with this decision. The incoming RIT president, David Munson, will determine who will speak next year.

Another petition asked for a read-only API for eServices that would make it easier for students to see how many meal swipes and debit they have left without requiring them to log into eServices. An SG committee responded to this petition by explaining that ITS would not allow this due to security issues. TigerCenter has this information and an interface that is easier to use and understand for those who would like to use something other than eServices to get this information.

Racquet Club has been sold for more than its assessed value to the same company that owns The Lodge, but RIT will continue managing it for a year or two. The company will provide its own transportation for the apartments in the near future. More apartments for RIT students will hopefully have a downward pressure on housing prices.

On Feb. 24, the RIT Women’s hockey team will be supported by the many different women’s groups on campus. A Destler appreciation event will be held on April 14 from 2–4 p.m. in the Bamboo Room.