The Student Government Association (SGA) held its thirteenth general body meeting (GBM) of the 111th session on November 7, 2023.
Cabinet Reports
This week, Student Body President Ryan Chou and Student Body Vice President Jackson Morris met with SNF Agora to discuss how to approach free and respectful discourse on November 3rd. Additionally, they met with Provost Ray Jayawardhana and Vice Provost for Student Affairs Rachelle Hernandez. On November 6th, Ryan and Jackson met with campus leadership about the Middle East and campus culture. Student Body Treasurer Jenny Chen stated that $11k is left in discretionary funds.
JHPD Draft Policies Presentation
Dr. Branville Bard, who oversees the operations of the Johns Hopkins Police Department (JHPD) and Public Safety, gave a presentation on the JHPD Draft Policies, which is currently in the developmental stage and open to suggestions from the public. SGA strongly recommends the student body submit feedback via the hyperlink above.
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On the topic of body cameras, phone cameras, etc., Dr. Bard stated that police officers are required by law to wear body security cameras, though there is a balance between using or not using them on private property. In a question-and-answer format, he covered topics like the increase in police presence, responses to robberies and behavioral health crises, and communication with students. He reassured SGA that the department is narrowly focused on ensuring the JHPD and Public Safety send the right person to de-escalate a given situation.
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In a collaboration with the School of Public Health, JHPD and Public Safety recorded differences by frequency of encounter, result, and duration across different races to acknowledge racial and procedure transparency. For accountability purposes, Dr. Bard stated that he has the authority to increase a penalty delivered to an officer if appropriate, beyond the disciplinary matrix mandated by the state.
Religious Inclusion Initiatives
Vice President Morris announced that the prayer room is now open in MSE C28. He also introduced the Religious Inclusion Working Group, which will bring religious students into discussions with the administration and faculty. This has been an ongoing conversation, with the main objective of bolstering religious and spiritual life resources. The Campus Dialogue Working Group will emphasize academic freedom of expression, particularly about opinions related to the conflict. The intent is to ensure students can safely express their thoughts, not out of fear. The hope is to expand the scope of this group to education programming and student-specific programming.
President of the Senate Dalhart Dobbs requested senators and the student body submit questions for the upcoming discussion panel hosted by SNF Agora on the Middle East conflict.
Health & Wellness and Rec Center
Senator Gabriel Granados reported that he had a meeting with Dr. Kessler for physical therapy and a chiropractic program for students. He plans to release a survey on health and wellness soon, particularly concerning the chiropractic program. Senator Arihant Singh gave updates on the initiative for better equipment at the recreation center.
Second Reading
The Second Reading of the November Funding Bill proposed by Chair of Programming Shalala Leny removed JHU blankets, sweaters, and plushies and replaced them with blue jay keychains and stickers, along with Krispy Kremes instead of Insomnia Cookies.
Committee/Caucus Updates
- The Committee on Health, Safety, and Sustainability discussed the upcoming "Nap Class" held by Health Promotion & Well-being in the Rec Center. Additionally, they brainstormed some potential events concerning public safety and recycling education sessions.
- The Committee on Student Services remains in discussion with the administration in addition to preparing for upcoming meetings.
- The Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Caucus promoted a free viewing at the Everyman Theatre of “The Chinese Lady,” by Lloyd Suh and directed by Nana Dakinuntil, which will run until November 19th. Interested attendees should contact the Inter-Asian Council (@jhuiac on Instagram).
- The Committee on Student Organizations went over re-registrations from last week, contacted organizations that were previously voted on about modifications, requested modifications to constitutions & member validation, and delegated new assignments among committee members. Their goal is to complete the approval process by Sunday, November 12th.
- The Disability Caucus held its second GBM of the semester last weekend and elected the new Vice Chair, Vedanti Bhargava. Vedanti is a sophomore majoring in neuroscience and is eager to get started with her position to help make positive changes on campus.