“How are people talking about USG now?” That question headlined a slide as the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) met for its final weekly meeting of the semester on Sunday, Dec. 3. This marks the last such meeting under President Stephen Daniels ’24, as the next president will have taken the office by the time meetings resume in January. In the first meeting of his presidency on Feb. 6, he said he hoped that, by the end of his term, the way students talk about USG would be “meaningfully different.”
Daniels proceeded to present positive emails, text messages, and Instagram comments directed towards various USG initiatives. Daniels also recounted various successful events that received some amount of USG funding, including March Madness, the Princeton-Yale football game, Lawnparties, and the Princeton Caribbean Connection Conference. Many of these events received larger than usual turnout and benefited from the increased funding available through the student activities fees increase initiated under Daniels’ presidency.
In closing the meeting, Daniels said, “I really cannot be prouder of what we did this past year. I deeply appreciate it. I remember being extremely nervous going into my first meeting.” Describing his time as a member of USG, he added, “but we had a couple of really successful years and I think looking back at it, I’m pretty damn proud.”
Daniels will be succeeded by Avi Attar ’25, the current Social Chair of USG. He is the only candidate actively running for president after Braiden Aaronson ’25 suspended his campaign.
As the USG presented about a year of success, members presented on an event with unprecedented interest. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Chair Uma Fox '26 and U-Councilor Aishwarya Swamidurai ’26 gave a presentation requesting additional funding following unprecedented interest in a USG-sponsored trip to New York City. They said the interest form, sent to the student body on Wednesday, Nov. 29, received 836 responses and crashed after too many students attempted to submit the form at the same time.
Fox is currently running for Treasurer and Swamidurai for Mental Health Chair.
The email advertising the trip highlighted that “there is no set itinerary” for the event, simply allowing students to “explore the city at [their] own pace.” The event, initially planned to accommodate 100 students, will be increased to a cap of 300 students, with students offered spots on a first-come-first-serve basis based on the initial form.
USG will offer skate vouchers for Bryant Park Skating Rink and Wollman Park Skating Rink to attendees, along with meal vouchers for The Migrant Kitchen, which is located within the Bryant Park Skating Rink. Fox and Swamidurai also secured a 50 percent discount for train tickets through New Jersey Transit, meaning each round trip ticket would only cost $17.75 as opposed to the usual $35.50. The funding increase was approved in a unanimous vote.
USG recently offered a trip to the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade in New York City. Besides trips to New York, USG has offered offered multiple trips to Grounds for Sculpture and to movies at AMC.
The group also provided various unanimous funding approvals for Projects Board Events — funding requests over $1,000 require approval under the Senate. The group approved a request of $1,184.84 from the Princeton Astronomy Club for their stargazing party, $1,250 from the Muslim Students Association for their Muslims Around the World banquet, and $1,142 to Princeton Pro-Life for a speaker event.
Resuming in the Spring 2024 semester, the USG currently meets every Sunday in Aaron Burr 219 from 5–6 p.m. and meetings are open for all students to attend.
Nandini Krishnan is a staff News writer and chief USG correspondent for the ‘Prince.’ She can be reached at nandinikrishnan[at]princeton.edu.
Contributing News Writer Alena Zhang contributed reporting.
Please send corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Correction: This piece has been updated to reflect that Uma Fox, not Genevieve Shutt, secured the train ticket discount. The ‘Prince’ regrets this error.
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