On Wednesday, Feb. 25, the University of Massachusetts Student Government Association held their weekly meeting of the undergraduate senate in the Cape Cod Lounge at 6:30 p.m.
During the Committee of the Whole, representatives from the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG) gave a presentation on their proposed referendum to raise the semesterly student fee that funds MASSPIRG.
MASSPIRG is a nonprofit, student-run organization that advocates for social change across campus and addresses solutions to issues like environmental protections, voter registration, affordable education, hunger and homelessness.
Sanjana Kumar, the chapter chair of MASSPIRG, and Robert Lee, the former chapter chair of MASSPIRG, advocated for the Senate to place an action referendum on this year’s SGA ballot regarding a fee increase. Every semester, UMass students pay an $11 waivable fee to fund MASSPIRG, which can be waived through SPIRE. According to Lee, the fee has not increased since 2005.
Kumar and Lee said the majority of the fee is used to pay professional staff, who help with legal and business matters as well as on their campaigns like their recent one, Save the Bees. The representatives argued that without their staff, they would be unable to fight against industry giants.
“It is hard to fight them when the funding isn’t there,” Lee said.
After their presentation, the two representatives endured heavy questioning from Senators, many of whom took issue with the ‘all-or-nothing’ language of the referendum: if the referendum to increase the fee to fund MASSPIRG fails, then, as Lee and Kumar explained it, the chapter would dissolve.
Before the Senate voted on the motion later in the meeting, Kumar took the microphone to withdraw the motion, with hopes to present the same motion to the Senate next year.
“[We] would like to use this next year to instead educate the student body further on our funding system,” Kumar said.
Beyond MASSPIRG’s action referendum, the SGA also discussed other referendums set to appear on the upcoming SGA ballot.
Chair of the Ways and Means Committee Darren Truong gave a presentation on the Student Activities Trust Fund (SATF) fee increase options that will be presented on the SGA ballot.
UMass students pay a Student Activities fee of $286 per academic year.
The options on the ballot are: no increase to the fee, an $18 increase per semester, a $25 increase per semester and a $30 increase per semester.
According to Truong, if there is no increase to the fee, there will be no funding allocated for the annual Spring Concert in FY 2027, and a $210,000 decrease in funding for RSO’s.
The Senate also heard a motion that was tabled from the previous meeting to give the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) $5,000 from the Democracy Inclusion and Action (DIA) fund.
The funds support NPHC’s proposed lip-sync battle during the university’s annual SoulFest week, paying for the event’s DJ, emcee, photographer, videographer and other related fees.
However, concern was raised among senators that James Carroll, the secretary of diversity, was named as the photographer for the event and would be paid $600. The $600 would come out of the DIA fund that he helps to manage.
Senator Esther Onyeka, chair of the Social Justice and Empowerment Committee, proposed an amendment to reduce the funds allocated to NPHC to $4,400, as Carroll decided he wouldn’t act as photographer for NPHC due to conflict of interest concerns, removing the $600 from the request.
“It was never my intention to use DIA fund money for my own benefit,” Carroll said. “It was simply the fact [that] a historical black organization needed help.”
The amended motion was passed by the Senate.
The Senate passed motions to appoint Sophie Wagner, Sophia McDonough, Max Siegal and Maggie Haven to the position of Associate Justice, Jamiah Fernandes to the position of Treasurer and Hamna Mustafa to the position of Secretary of Finance.
Lastly, the Senate passed a motion to add action referendums to the SGA ballot regarding e-mobility devices, such as electric scooters and bicycles.
According to Chair of the Outreach and Development Committee Morgan Kim, the referendums are intended to poll student opinions on the devices. After the motion was passed, the meeting was adjourned.
George Coulouras can be reached at [email protected]. Chantelle Nguyen can be reached at [email protected].
