Congress Weekly – September 23rd, 2016
After a long focus on accreditation, Congress is overjoyed with the response the students have had to the initiative. Congress plans to hold social events at Marianopolis. However, now that these procedures have taken a backseat, Congress is bringing the focus back to more precise plans for activities at Marianopolis.
They have proposed a carnival, in which students will compete and score points for their program. However, since the complexity of these plans, the event may be a one-time thing.
Moreover, Congress has the idea of selling hats with the slogan of “Make Mari Great Again” and giving the profits to the millennium foundation (Marianopolis’ bursary and scholarship foundation). The idea was rejected by the school, because it does not want any affiliation to Donald Trump. However, since the money could be used for a good cause, the President will try to negotiate with the college to get it passed. These hats were made first by candidate and now Coordinator of Charities and Volunteering for Congress Jia R Shao.
Halloween is next month, and there will be a party to celebrate that occasion. Congress has received two offers and will be deciding on the one that makes the most profit soon. Stay tuned to our weekly Congress updates for more specific details!
Silver Key is also holding a Halloween event. They are considering the idea of a haunted house and a costume competition.
Furthermore, Congress talked about its budget and its management of the clubs. This year, the budget is 100 000$, and 40 000$ of it is for clubs. Usually, clubs get 10% of what they are asking for (this was issued two years ago). However, Congress plans to change that. Some requests for funding, however, are being refused: anything to do with money to buy food for club members, marketing items or any other luxury items deemed unnecessary . Congress prioritizes big and active clubs, with more than 65 members. However, they are lenient and will be letting clubs ask money later in the semester, since there are some made in winter and halfway through the semester.
Congress also has to pay for a movie license every year that allows students and teachers to show licensed movies. Our current license is expiring soon, and its renewal is being debated. On a related note, the school pays for a music license to be able to play music on campus, due to copyright rights.
New this year is also the MSU’s encouragement of club constitutions for larger clubs. This both gives freedom to these clubs and allows for more effective monitoring of activities, within and outside these clubs.
Additionally, Congress really wants to make sure committee members for all initiatives are intellectually diverse, knowledgeable, passionate, proactive, and make their voice heard. As an example, the academic council is really important, so its members are chosen carefully.
Finally, our team would like to congratulate Congress for their successful beginning-of-semester party.
Editor’s note: This is the first article in a series of weekly Congress updates. Stay tuned for more every Monday night!
Written by MWR writer Shan Wang, edited by the MWR team
