Allegheny Student Government gathered for its regular general assembly meeting, while also welcoming Dean of Students, April Thompson as a guest speaker and discussing how to better communicate with students.

ASG returned to its discussion about Talk About It Tuesday and decided to hold Talk About It Tuesday every few weeks with different themes. Thinking about communication and its importance, ASG members talked about the organization’s role in student-led initiatives after last week’s protests.

“Half of representation is just showing up,” said Camila Gomez, ’19, ASG president. “It’s telling your class presidents you’re upset and telling us about it in Talk About It Tuesday … ASG is supposed to be a channel, not a source.”

Jason Ferrante, ’20, said students need to come to general assembly meetings and talk to members of ASG in order for ASG to be more involved and readily available to students, saying students need to meet ASG halfway.

“If you want something done in the U.S. Senate you write to your senators, you attend town hall meetings,” Ferrante said. “We can try, but we also need to hear something back.”

Thompson attended the meeting to talk about wanting students to be more involved in what comes next — after the protests — and how to become “inclusive of many student voices.”

“We are hoping to have some changes for you as soon as possible, because I know there are some students that are looking for some new policy changes,” Thompson said. “So if you have ideas and suggestions of ways we can improve, fun things that we can do, I’m hopefully going to get more opportunities to be the dean of fun in the weeks ahead.”

ASG also went through weekly cabinet and class reports. Cabinet reports included scheduling times to work on the ASG float for the upcoming Meadville Halloween parade, getting service hours and discussing applications for the College Committees Council.

The Sustainability and Environmental Affairs Committee led by Cat Lord, ’20, brought into consideration a few changes coming for the green to-go boxes at McKinley’s Dining Hall.

“We’re working on a keychain for the tokens that students use for the box machine, because people keep losing them,” Lord said.

Class of 2022 Vice President Kathryn Philippe brought up the possibility of sustainable, reusable cups like the to-go boxes in places like Smoothie Street.

“They do have a sign up in the smoothie station that says they can’t accept reusable cups, for health and safety reasons,” Ferrante said. “I don’t know what they are exactly, but it’s the same reasons you can’t bring your own plates to Kinz.”

There was a plan for the Sustainability and Environmental Affairs committee to continue the discussion for later dates.

ASG also had its first constituent comment from a member of the Outing Club, asking for help to pay the price of renting vans and gas through Motor Pool. The Outing Club was sent the paperwork to fill out to get help from ASG, and Gomez said she would bring it up with an administrator.

Associate Dean for Wellness Education and ASG adviser Gretchen Beck ended the meeting with her report, mentioning flu shot clinics that are being thought up and the new counselor in the Counseling and Personal Development Center.

“I have some exciting news, we have a new counselor starting October 1,” Beck said. “We do have a fourth position we’re looking to fill, so stay tuned for that. We’re getting there slowly but surely, but we’re getting there.” 

ASG meets at 7 p.m. every Tuesday in the Henderson Campus Center room 301/302, and students are welcome to come sit in during meetings and bring up any problems or situations that they would like ASG to help with, or know about.