The 112th Student Government Association (SGA) convened on Tuesday, Oct. 29 for their weekly meeting.
The senate began the session with a presentation from the Hopkins Dining staff, covering recent updates and future plans. The team highlighted new additions to the Hopkins Café — such as a poke bar, updates to Levering Kitchens and the introduction of Niecy’s Fabulous Juice Bar replacing Good Part and Co. at the Ralph S. O’Connor Recreation Center. The team also reminded students present that they can find daily menus on the Nutrislice website and encouraged feedback through upcoming surveys.
During the question-and-answer session, members of the senate raised requests for healthier drink options beyond sodas at the dining halls and suggested expanding Charles Street Market’s Meals-in-a-Minute to include sushi and teriyaki bowls along with more consistent vegetarian options. The Hopkins Dining team expressed openness to these ideas and agreed to consider labeling meat options more clearly, especially during late-night service.
Afterward, the Senate moved through various non-legislative matters, including the Senate Vacancy Candidate Elections. Junior Class President Oluwakemi Abiodun then shared a brief update on recent activities, including a voting registration event on the Breezeway. Additionally, she indicated that a parking survey showed that 88% of respondents found 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to be the most challenging time for finding campus parking, with some students missing classes or work. She also said the Dean of Students addressed the concern, noting limited current solutions.
Vice-President of the Senate Srigouri Oruganty presented a recap of Well-Being Day, highlighting strong student engagement and positive feedback on activities like the plant giveaway and hammock installations. However, she suggested increased volunteer support for future events.
In the first reading, Senator Cynthia Sanchez Hidalgo and Senator Nayshawn Ferebee introduced a resolution to mandate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training to address the decline in Latino and Black student enrollment and to establish an Advisory Board. They explained how the mandatory DEI training for incoming students is no longer a prerequisite for registration. In the bill, they outlined a proposal to include DEI training in distribution requirements. The Senators voiced concerns regarding degree completion and the complexities tied to the new foundational abilities requirements. Then, Srigouri presented the Sexual Assault Resource Unit (SARU) Funding Bill, requesting additional support, while Chair of Programming Tim Huang proposed the Lighting of the Quads Bill, which includes a Hopkins merchandise giveaway.
For the second reading, the Senate passed the November Tabling and SGA Leadership Workshop Bill.
