Proposed draft plan presented to SGA promoting sustainability

The University Sustainability Committee proposed a plan to raise USD’s Atlas score, a score evaluating how sustainable the USD campus is, at Tuesday’s SGA meeting. Anna Moore, Campus Recycling Coordinator and sustainability grad major, said the most important thing to get the program going is involvement and consistency. 

USD’s current Atlas score is 36%. The average score on universities in the U.S. is between 40 and 50 percent, Moore said. 

The draft Atlas plan consists of several suggested steps including zero waste orientation, standardized and paired bins, residence hall recycling and reuse stations, resourceful dining and construction and renovation.

Moore also promoted the Green Initiative Fund, an initiative aiming to help USD become a healthier environment by sponsoring student organizations.  

Senator Armand Khan reported back from the USD COVID Taskforce. USD’s case count is low and as long as students continue to wear masks and follow social distancing practices, it will continue to stay low, Khan said.

“The Wellness Center is starting to open up to the next phase,” Khan said. “The capacity has been increased and some intramural sports are starting back up again.” 

Two bills were read during the meeting.  Bill 68 proposes to amend SGA by-laws to advertise elections, as well as clarifying and defining rules. Bill 69 proposes to amend by-laws regarding the clarification of budget procedures. Both bills are sponsored by Naivetya Patle. The readings for both bills were approved.

Senate Resolution 8, to commemorate the UPD for its commitment to community policing and cooperation with the campus community, was also proposed. The reading for this resolution was approved. 

Along with the reading of the two bills and the resolution, senate bill 67 regarding Sociology Club funding was tabled. $2000 is being requested for two speakers. 

Katie Brust, SGA Director of Communications, presented a rebranding proposal. This rebranding includes a revamping of formatting, minutes, schedules, constitution, by-laws  and social media. This rebranding would unify and define SGA’s brand.