The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) heard plans for the semester from core committees and approved its budget, as well as two U-Councilor appointments, in its meeting on Sunday, Sept. 24. A campus pub trial run will be a priority for the Undergraduate Student Life Committee (USLC).
USLC Chair Caitlin McNally ’24 named the campus pub as the “main focus” for the committee this semester. USG President Stephen Daniels ’24 proposed the revival of the pub, which was once located in Chancellor Green, during his run for the presidency. McNally told the Senate that her committee would aim to set a date for a campus pub trial run in the next few weeks, with the pilot likely to occur sometime after fall break.
McNally also mentioned working to provide greater support for community engagement around sports.
The fall USG budget, which USG Treasurer Walker Penfield ’25 initially presented in a meeting on Sept. 17, totals $585,755 as a starting amount, marking a significant increase from previous semesters. The only change to the budget since last week was the allocation of $4,408 for an event at Grounds for Sculpture this week. Both the funding allocation for the event, as well as the budget overall, were approved unanimously.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Chair Uma Fox ’26 reported that the DEI Committee would focus on topics such as dietary restrictions, making connections with student affinity groups, and gender-neutral bathrooms — while keeping an eye on changing legislation on gender neutrality in New Jersey. Fox said they decided to expand the committee this semester, and it is “probably [the] most diverse DEI committee yet.”
The Academics Committee, chaired by Srista Tripathi ’25, has also expanded. Tripathi noted that the committee now includes greater representation of transfer and international students, as well as students from different majors and from rural and first-generation backgrounds.
The committee will work this semester to ensure that information about the transition from certificates to minors is accessible to students and to coordinate with Princeton’s Scholars Institute Fellows Program (SIFP) on efforts to support first-generation students, “especially as the growing class sizes continue seeing more first generation students,” Tripathi said.
Daniels delivered an update on behalf of Sustainability Chair Isha Patel ’25, who was appointed in the final meeting of the spring semester following the resignation of the previous chair but was unable to attend Sunday’s meeting. Daniels reported that the committee will prioritize increasing awareness around administration-led sustainability efforts, helping students to “engage with environmental justice and food insecurity issues,” and advocating “for the adoption of more sustainable practices in overlooked parts of student life, such as extracurriculars and student events.”
Campus and Community Affairs (CCA) Chair Isabella Sibaja ’26 discussed the Princeton Farmers Market held weekly in Firestone Plaza and plans to host Tigers in Town events in October and November, including one during midterms week.
Noah Luch ’24, who chairs the Mental Health Committee, talked about working to make mental health care “passive, in the sense [that] students don’t have to actively seek out resources and do research, but rather the resources are there for them,” as well as proposing that University administration establish their own mental health committee.
Social Chair Avi Attar ’25 told the Senate about planning for USG’s traditional Dean’s Date programming and “laying the groundwork” for Spring Lawnparties and potential new initiatives brought forth by new committee members.
Each chair’s newly selected committee members were approved via a single unanimous vote.
The Senate also unanimously approved two new U-Councilors who’d been appointed to fill vacant positions: Karen Villanueva ’27, who mentioned previous work at Virginia Tech “in an office very similar” to the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS) during a gap year, and Anuj Krishnan ’27, who emphasized in his introduction to the Senate a goal of making community service a greater part of student culture. Krishnan specifically proposed investigating ways to integrate service further into a first-year curriculum.
The Senate also approved the appointment of a new Student Groups Recognition Committee Chair, Lana Utley ’24, and the allocation of three Projects Board funding requests.
In his President’s Report, Daniels discussed plans to provide more trips to AMC theaters this semester given USG’s expanded budget, specifically mentioning a potential trip to see the upcoming Taylor Swift concert film.
He also noted that he’ll meet with the Graduate Interclub Council (GICC) and the Interclub Council (ICC), the bodies governing Princeton’s eating clubs, in the upcoming week. He plans to address the meal exchange start date and potential early findings from last semester’s dining pilot.
Annie Rupertus is an associate News editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Correction: A previous version of this article mischaracterized the location of the former Campus Pub.
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