The 112th Student Government Association (SGA) convened on Tuesday, Nov. 12 for their weekly meeting.
Presided by SGA President Nasreen Naqvi, the session opened with non-legislative topics. SGA Advisor Jessica Snell mentioned that a WiFi survey for students is being drafted due to mentions of inconsistent WiFi on campus. Afterward, Naqvi and Senator Yashas Mallikarjun held a discussion about the portable surveillance cameras around campus. Mallikarju noted that students are discontent with the lack of transparency surrounding the technology.
“The company that's been putting up these portable security stations around campus is called LVT Technologies,“ Mallikarju said. “There is a use of facial recognition, [and] potentially, there is a use of artificial intelligence in order to improve facial recognition… and the technology itself is also patented and proprietary, so there's no other way for me to access more details about this. So the general bias I'm getting is that cameras are okay, but people are not okay with facial identification.”
Additionally, members of the meeting noted that the lack of transparency opens the potential for discrimination. Students also feel that the cameras are not placed in locations where crimes often occur and instead become an aesthetic or privacy disturbance. For example, SGA members expressed that students have voiced discontent about the blue lights flashing into dormitory windows on the Freshman Quad, which illuminates students’ rooms from the outside and disturbs sleep. To address the issue, Mallikarjun proposed drafting a survey to gather broader feedback from the student body.
Afterward, Senator Omotara Tiamiyu presented a Menstrual Product Initiative, which aims to improve menstrual product availability on campus. Tiamiyu suggested working with custodial staff to improve the restocking system, displaying posters about menstrual health around dispensing stations and expanding dispensaries to gender-neutral bathrooms. During the feedback session afterward, attendees gave additional suggestions, including publicizing a map of bathrooms with menstrual product dispensaries and expanding availability on the Peabody Institute campus.
Senator Jazzlyn Fernandez then displayed a rough draft of a survey about Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment (DE) credits at Hopkins. She noted that Hopkins mainly accepts STEM credits and that the DE transfer process involves presenting a syllabus and sometimes obtaining professor approval. Her survey sought to gain student input about current credit transfer policies in order to discuss potential changes with faculty and administration. Audience members suggested expanding the survey to include International Baccalaureate and A-Level courses for international students, as well as in-depth discussions with academic departments to determine the specific prerequisites transfer credits can fulfill.
Afterwards, the session moved to the second reading of proposed bills.
Senator Srigouri Oruganty and Sexual Assault Resources Unit Co-Director Vedanti Bhargava presented a bill approving funding for a speaker event featuring Lexie Bean, a queer author and artist. The event will center on the rise of anti-queer legislation, as well as safe spaces in the aftermath of the election. SGA passed the bill.
Next, Senator Cynthia Sanchez Hidalgo discussed the newest version of an Affirmative Action resolution about the decline in campus diversity. Hidalgo noted the additional request that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training be freely available to Hopkins affiliates. However, the bill was tabled to the next meeting because of pending comments from faculty advisors.
Before adjourning, SGA passed a funding bill for their table at Lighting of the Quads, which will cover merchandise and totals approximately $1900 dollars.
