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USG discussed Thanksgiving buses, student groups

The Undergraduate Student Government discussed the Thanksgiving bus project and new student groups in its meeting on Oct. 23.

Student Group Recognition Committee co-chairs Paul Yang ’17 and Julie Chong ’17 presented the new student organizations. Overall, the SGRC recognized 11 groups, which include Princeton LP, a music appreciation publication, and the Student Athlete Entrepreneurship Club, which was created to offer athletes alternatives to the traditional consulting route.

Senate members raised concerns that several of the newly created groups occupy similar niches to other pre-existing student groups. For example, one senator questioned the recognition of the Student Athlete Entrepreneurship Club, stating that its purpose seemed too similar to that of the existing Entrepreneurship Club. Yang indicated that the Student Athlete Entrepreneurship Club was one of the more heavily vetted groups brought forth, and that it has already proven itself capable of running programming with a sizable amount of interest.

"While they could be similar, given the precedent that athletes are often a disjoint group on campus, we felt that this group was put together well enough that we should approve it," Yang said.

Commenting on the general concern of group redundancy, Yang stated, "What we've found is that most of the groups on campus are at capacity for their programming... Groups that are sufficiently distinct from existing groups work a lot better as new groups that cooperate with existing groups."

U-Councilor Wendy Zhao '19 and Class of 2019 Senator Andrew Ma '19 presented updates for the senate's Thanksgiving buses project.

The project aims to provide competitively-priced and convenient round-trip modes of transportation for students to return home for the Thanksgiving holiday. The bus routes will provide service to five cities: Hartford, Conn.; Newton, Mass.; Boston, Mass.; Washington, D.C.; and Baltimore, Md. They will depart from Princeton on Wednesday, Nov. 23 and return to Princeton from Boston and Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Nov. 27.

For students, the round-trip ticket prices are to be set at $70 to Boston and $60 to Washington, D.C. Ticket sales will most likely begin during the week following fall break, Ma said.

Zhao said that, initially, tickets would be opened for only three buses, two to Washington, D.C. and one to Boston. She explained that if the three buses reached capacity, new buses would be added if the demand for a given bus exceeded 28 students.

The full prices of the five round-trip buses, which includes a 10% gratuity for the drivers, is the same as for last year's buses, Zhao indicated. Ma stated that the project is not expected to result in a net loss of senate funds.

"We are projecting 90 percent full buses, and we recuperate exactly our amount spent at that point," Ma said.

USG President Aleksandra Czulak '17 also noted that, in the past, many students have recommended bus routes to additional cities. Ma responded, stating that they are in the process of implementing a student suggestion system, in which cities that exceed a certain number of votes would be added as a bus route. However, he added that he was unsure as to whether these changes could be added this year.

USG Vice President Jeremy Burton '18 also introduced new Student Governance Office workers, who will manage the reception for the office during its open hours. The workers will assist in helping student organizations print marketing materials, answer inquiries, and manage the office suite.

Czulak also commented on the recent changes to the office. The changes include an added lounge, free coffee and tea, and a student sign-in sheet. Czulak said that the aforementioned changes, as well as updates to the lounge due for completion over fall break, are designed to make the office a more welcoming space to students.

USG office hours are 4:30-9:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 2:00-7:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

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