Senate General Body Meeting #9 — Minutes (10/06/25)

113th Johns Hopkins Student Government Association

Senate Meeting #9

October 6th, 2025 / 07:00 PM / Hackerman B17

MINUTES

1. Call to Order and Attendance (1 min)

   1. Absentees:
      1. Excused: Jazzlyn Fernandez, Ava Flores, Mamadou Thiam, Jingyan Zhang, Kirsten Amematsro
      2. Unexcused: Tarini Basireddy, Steven Amanat, Ndeye Coulbary, Andrew Gao, Jaden Garcia,
   2. Present

2. Convening Business (60 min)

   1. Presentation and Discussion with Dining
      1. https://www.slido.com/
3. Dining presented updates on Ralph’s Marketplace openings, Levering Kitchen Pho option addition, new meal plan addition (Block 300, Block 25), new Levering kitchen meal swipe availability time, and closing of Hopkins Cafe late night option.
4. They presented future and on-going projects including agora cafe which will be opening next spring, and AMR 1 project.
5. Dining moved on to the feedback session.
6. J-Cash availability at other merchandise such as chipotle and subway is yet to be explored, but will be discussed and analysed in the future.
7. The demand for scoopology was addressed by questions from students. For this academic year, the comeback of scoopology is not considered, but will be discussed for next year.
8. Dining was asked if the menus will be renewed. Dining reported the eating habits this year have been completely different. For example, the vegan options consumption has been surpassing the precedent data, and pizza and burgers have not been consumed much. They reassured me that a lot of the menu will be revisited.
9. The concern on inability to use J-cash at Streets market has been expressed. The team responded it is under the investigation, meanwhile students are encouraged to also reach out to the J-cash office.
10. The dining team has been forecasting student eating habits based on data which won’t be accurate, thus figuring out which meal is running out fast every year. They encouraged students to reach out to the chef, the dining office, and the team.
11. A student suggested implementing a pre-ordering system to Hopkins cafe sandwich station. The dining team responded that it can be considered with calculation of cost and timing. They also noted the system is considered to be implemented for the new dining hall.
12. A student expressed the issue with some items at Charles Market do not have price on them. The dining responded they used a lot of time reassuring that the prices were on each item, but it is helpful that students are reminding us. They will be looking into it with the cashiers at the Charles market as well.
13. The issue with the meal swipe on the transact app was expressed by the executive board before. The issue is now solved.
14. The dining team also expressed they appreciate feedback in the moment at the dining hall as the culinary team is present at the locations. They also indicated if the staff are not available, they are welcomed to talk to any cashiers, chefs, or managers. They also expressed that the employees love to hear feedback from students.
15. A concern on food sanitation was expressed. The team responded that there are two people in the organization who are responsible for the entire system’s sanitary process. With that being said, they also acknowledge that incidents happen and they encourage students to notify the staff immediately or via email if not with time and location to ensure that the communication between consumers and providers are achieved.
    2. Presentation and Discussion with Student Health & Wellbeing
       1. https://www.slido.com/
16. The SHWB team shared the overview of the office. There are three locations run by SHWB. SHWB provides services to undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral fellows in all 9 schools and health system house staff. SHWB not only provides primary care but also education, disability services, mental health services, and student insurance plans. 60% of studnet bofy wave this school health insurance, but this system has been crucial for international students.
17. The SHWB team shared that there were 45,000+ clinical appointments last year, the % of learners served through SDS doubled since 2016.
18. They presented the launch of learner advisory board. This new governance board is done by student representatives meeting 4 times a year to obtain feedback on services. There are 3 homewood student representatives and 1 peabody student representative. The board is not a decision-making team, rather, a communication point between students and the SHWB.
19. The SWHB is doubling their clinical space this year in East Baltimore. The reason behind was that a third of the homewood students were not using the clinic closest to them.
20. The new feature added to the MHS is solution sessions. It provides a discrete 50 minutes problem solving session. It is a single session on a specific problem. So far 45% of the students who ued the service expressed that it was their first time meeting with mental health care providers.
21. The timelycare system provides 12 free scheduled visits per year. Now it is available 24/7. The Timelycare service was initially started for covid-19 treatment. But the demand for the continuation of this program was expressed by SGA. The system allows students to meet with Timelycare clinicians instead of going into ERs.
22. The demand for SDS information was expressed by students. The SWHB team indicated that the feedback form link and websites are provided and being revisited by the team. They started Homewood faculty liaison program which provides training on AIM system and Exam agreements. SDS assistive technology in two locations (one being schafer hall) is providing open hours to deliver programs and host digital accessibility training.
23. The senate moved to a Q & A discussion session.
24. The question regarding availability of covid testing was noted. The SHWB responded that they are available for purchase at the vending machine or students can obtain the test on call by the clinic. Unlike the mandated flu vaccination, covid vaccination must be through an insurance system. The Hopkins clinic does provide covid vaccine where students can pay out of pocket then be reimbursed by their insurance, but they recommend students to get the vaccine at local clinics.
25. Students asked if there will be an increase in the number of vending machines. The SHWB is working on installing more vending machines, however, the management of these vending machines are done solely by the team and ordered by one person, thus it does require a lot of human labor. They are looking into installing vending machines in residence halls as students expressed the demand. The team is also planning on adding paper bags at the REC vending machines and adding more options in the machines.
26. Facilities across the campus restock the menstrual products. There is a conversation happening between different departments to improve the consistency of menstrual products. They asked students to let them know which building needed more restocking.
27. Students asked if there is financial literacy education provided. The SHWB responded there are staff available to answer questions and also the insurance tab on their website has a video lecture on financial literacy and health insurance available.
28. The SHWB indicated that the vending machine is available even after the SHWB is closed.
29. The student asked if there is an information streaming system for Hopkins insurance. The team responded they will be discussing this matter to build a system easier for students to access their insurance information.
30. Students expressed if there is a way for students to text emergency services. The team responded there are multiple phone lines provided and a team dedicated to provide hands-on clinical care. They also asked the student to give them more information and feedback if they are willing to improve their experience.
31. Students expressed that the issue about mental health services takes about a month since the consultation and their in-person appointment. The SHWB responded that the number of staff has decreased while the demand for these services has increased. They also noted the average wait time is about 2 weeks. They are working on increasing availability during this fall-winter academic period based on data which might be more tangible next year with more staff. They also recommended utilizing Timelycare services which takes about 1 week to connect with counselors. The Health and Wellbeing coaching system also provides students with specific advice on their lives as well.

32. Amendment and Approval of the Agenda (1 min)

33. Public Input (3 min)

34. Reports (5 min)

    1. Cabinet Reports (4 min)
       1. Student Body President - Vishnu Dontu
       2. Student Body Vice President - Omotara Tiamiyu
       3. Secretary - Sumire Sumi
       4. Treasurer - Imad Ahmed
       5. Chair of Programming - Tyler Turner
35. CoP Tyler gave a special shout out to Programming member Hannah on behalf of 113th SGA executive board.
    6. President of the Senate - Srigouri Oruganty
36. Committee chairs were reminded to stay after the meeting.
    2. Advisor Report (2 min)
37. Non-Legislative Business (10 min)
    1. Inauguration for Freshman Class Council and Programming Board - Judicial Branch Freshman class senators, president, and programming council members were inaugurated.
    2. Judicial Confirmation - Judicial Branch Katherine Su was inaugurated as a new member of the SGA Judiciary board.
    3. SGA Mentorship Form - Chair Tanisha and Chair Amy

38. First Reading (5 min)

39. Second Reading (10 min)

40. Cohort Time (30 min)

Prospective Legislation & Announcements (5 min)

Adjournment (Estimated 9:00 PM)

Time-length and adjournment estimates are provided for the benefit of guests at Senate meetings. However, SGA meetings are always slated to extend until 9:00 PM and SGA members are expected to remain in the Senate chamber until official adjournment by motion, whether before or after the adjournment estimate.