The following are briefs from the Trent Central Student Association (TCSA) Board of Directors meeting held on January 11, 2015, the first meeting of the new year.

Exam packages a success

After welcoming the board back to Trent for the new semester, TCSA President Braden Freer discussed the success of the exam care packages in his President’s Report.

“We roughly doubled the number of exam packages and they were gone in about the same amount of time as last year,” said Freer, noting their popularity and joking that there had been a “wall” of care packages in the TCSA office.

While Freer indicated that, from a cost and time standpoint, there does not seem to be a feasible way to increase the number of care packages, he said that alternate ways of supporting Trent students during exam time are being looked into.

One potential suggestion Freer gave was having the TSCA distribute slices of pizza to students studying in the library, a practice that received a favourable response when done last semester.

TCSA Student Award of Excellence committee to be struck

Freer also touched on the TCSA Student Award of Excellence in his President’s Report. The award, described by Freer as “recognizing that students do extraordinary and excellent things outside the school,” is annually awarded.

The selection committee will consist of five members of the TCSA Board of Directors, one from each college, and a member from the Graduate Student Association and the Trent Part-Time Student Association. A chair will be selected from the committee members.

“The calls for nominations come out February 1,” said Freer, “Open to anyone to nominate, be they committee members or not and it can be any student [that is nominated].”

The Board of Directors voted to strike the committee, with the members to be selected at a later time.

Tuition fees documentary to be produced

In his Vice President Campaigns & Equity Report, TCSA Vice President Boykin Smith discussed a documentary project that he has in the works.

“I’m going to be working with a cinematographer to try to put together a documentary,” said Smith, explaining that it would deal with topics such as student debt and high tuition fees.

“We’re going to try to interview students and administration,” he said.

In addition to interviews, the plan is to show the tabling process as well as the tuition fee related rally that is tentatively planned for February.

Farmers’ Market discount card preparing for trial run

Alaine Spiwak, TCSA Ethical Standards Commissioner, discussed the progress of a project to create a discount card for students to use at the Farmers’ Market.

“What I have worked out with the Farmers’ Market President is that we’re going to make discount cards that students can pick up at the TCSA office,” she said. “What this card will do is that students who have it will be able to get different discounts at select vendors.”

Spiwak said her next step is to attend the next Farmers’ Market and meet with the vendors to create a comprehensive list of who is on board with the project and the types of discounts to be offered.

“This card will be able to be used at any Saturday [Peterborough] Farmers’ Market, it will also extend to the summer. We’re going to do a trial period,” she said. “Then we’ll readjust the project, see how it works, see if we can get more vendors on, et cetera.”

New guide books for Trent clubs

In the Vice President University and College Affairs Report, TCSA Vice President Mayra Asmar noted that a new guidebook for Trent University clubs has been mostly completed.

“What this is everything that clubs need to know, so in terms of what is available for funding, how do you open a bank account, where to book your rooms,” said Asmar, adding that all that is left to complete before sending the guidebook out is some formatting of the content.