The big topic of discussion at the Sunday, March 7 Student Government Association (SGA) meeting was funding for 2010 spring break trips. Three College-sponsored trips--the Colby Christian Fellowship's (CCF) hurricane relief trip to New Orleans, the Colby Outing Club's (COC) multiple service and nature based expeditions and the Colby African Society's venture to the Sea Islands of South Carolina to film a documentary on African heritage--all requested and were all granted funding.
East Quad Dorm President Stephen Sentoff '11 raised questions about the disproportionate allocation of funds between the trips, specifically regarding the "roughly $60 more per person given to the African Society than the CCF." "Part of the logic behind only giving the CCF $2,000 is because, as bad as it sounds, New Orleans does not need the same amount of attention as it did two years ago, when a similar Colby trip went down," SGA Treasurer Audell Scarlett '10 said. "SGA is happy and willing to support the trip, but it is not as urgent."

SGA used roughly $6,200 of the $7,000 allocated for spring break funding. "Just because we have a certain amount of money does not mean that we need to spend all of it. What's left over comes back to the student body and what we do on campus," Scarlett said.

For fundraising, spring break trips need to submit a proposal detailing four things: the trip cost breakdown, the service based component of the trip, the way in which the club or group will attempt to fundraise and "a commitment to sharing the experience with the Colby community," according to the current Colby Finance Committee Spring Break Funding Criteria. In general, SGA is attempting to make the funding criteria for spring break a more formal document for the future.

The President's Council also discussed the College Affairs Committee's (CAC) new alcohol policy at the meeting. SGA will hold an additional meeting on Sunday, March 14, with members of the CAC to "work through any questions people have about the new policy," SGA President Jacob Fisher '10 said. Next week will be a "discussion" about the policy; official voting will not take place until "the April 4 meeting with Dean Terhune and President William 'Bro' Adams," he said.

In other SGA news, Sophomore Class Co-President Justin Rouse '12 announced, as part of the Housing and Facilities Advisory Committee (HFAC), that the "senior quota for dorms has increased from 18 to 35, percent giving seniors access to all Dana five-men and a majority, if not all the suites in other dorms." He also said "block housing has been approved" for next year.

Grossman Dorm President Tracey Tomlinson '12 also announced that over 200 prints of 10 to 15 pieces of art from the museum are going to be made up by either the end of this year or the beginning of next year to be hung in the residence halls. "We've also gotten permission to hang photos of students doing dorm activities," she said. "Hopefully these measures will help minimize dorm damage and make the common rooms homier."

Furthermore, SGA Webmaster John Clauson '10 discussed an old motion of his to install an instant coffee-machine in the Stree. "The wheels are moving forward and the machine should be installed within a couple of weeks," he said.