In the Student Government General Assembly meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 27, bills posing new opportunities for students to engage with their peers were presented.

Sponsored by Omar Elnour, SG’s Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Senate Bill 2021-001 proposes up to $970 in funding for an upcoming Unseen United Project. $636 will go toward a 64GB iPad Air, and $310 will help fund ten $25 Visa gift cards.

The gift cards will go to the first ten eligible participants who register for the program, and all participants will be entered into a drawing pool for the iPad Air. With the exclusion of Student Government members, any student enrolled at UM-Flint for Winter 2021 is eligible for the program.

The aim of Unseen United, according to Director Elnour, is to unite UM-Flint students through art and self-expression. Those interested in participating will meet once a month on Zoom to present their art and connect with other students. Each Zoom call will have a theme that may include subjects like music, poetry, digital art, and drawing.

The project was inspired by Naomi Alvarado, a student at UM-Dearborn who hosted an Unseen United project for students wanting to convey stories about their mental health through various forms of art.

Bill 2021-001 passed unanimously, and students can expect to see more information about Unseen United in the coming weeks.

Director of Student Relations Amena Shukairy presented Bill 2020-002, which asks for $650 in funding for ten Visa gift cards, which will be awarded to ten of the students who participate in the 12-week Active U Challenge. One of the gift cards will be worth $100, and the other nine will be worth $50.

Through the Active U Challenge, students can log their daily physical activity and earn prizes for hitting their goals for at least eight out of the 12 weeks. The challenge started on Jan. 25, but students can still register until Feb. 1 by clicking here.

The final bill to be discussed was Bill 2020-003, which requests $600 in prize money for a virtual Skribbl.io Game Night event. Gift cards ranging from $10 to $20 will be awarded to students who attend the game night, and up to five $25 gift cards will be reserved for top scorers.

Both Bill 2020-002 and 2020-003 will be voted on during next week’s General Assembly meeting.

SG Advisor and Dean of Students Julie Snyder, Ph.D, reminded students that SG election season has arrived. Anyone interested in running for a position on Student Government for the 2021-2022 school year is required to attend one of the upcoming information sessions. Four sessions will take place, including one on Feb. 2 at 4 p.m.; Feb. 3 at 6 p.m.; Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.; and Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. The Zoom Meeting ID for these sessions is 297 639 9817.

SG is still reviewing Senator applications for the 2020-2021 school year, and students interested in applying to the Senate can do so here.

Students are invited to attend the virtual grand opening of the new and improved Murchie Science Building, which takes place Thursday, Jan. 28 at 3:30 p.m. Anyone who would like to attend must RSVP.

On Feb. 11 at 2 p.m., Chancellor Deba Dutta will be delivering “Promise and Possibilities,” a multimedia presentation on the future of UM-Flint. The Zoom link for this presentation is included here.

SG General Assembly meetings take place every Wednesday at 7 p.m., and the Zoom link can be found on SG’s website.