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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

SA senate votes to continue SRI Commission

Correction appended

The Student Association senate voted in support of continuing the Socially Responsible Initiatives Commission Tuesday night at the senate’s last meeting of the year.

The SRI, which was operating on a two-year trial basis, allocates $25,000 a year to fund events on campus deemed “socially responsible,” meaning they help the community either by promoting sustainability or community service.

This year, the SRI funded events such as the Light Bulb Trade-In, World AIDS Day events, Relay for Life and Alternative Spring Break trips.

The body was established by former University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, who left $50,000 from the Office of the President to be divided over a two-year period to fund such events. The funding will continue to come from the president’s office.

Sophomore Kim Wollner, chair of the SRI, said she hopes the resolution will show that people support the SRI’s work and want to see the commission continue in the future.

“If you look at what we’ve done this year, I think that it’s very evident that the SRI has done a great job in helping out events that are definitely socially responsible,” Wollner said.

SA Sen. Logan Dobson, CCAS-U, led debate in opposition of the resolution, questioning the necessity of such an organization.

“This group doles out $25,000 a year to what it sees as groups doing socially responsible ‘things,’ ” said Dobson, a sophomore, adding that it essentially provides co-sponsorships for events.

Dobson said he was troubled with how readily the SA doled out the money.

“I think we all can acknowledge that these are tough economic times, and every $25,000 that goes to the SRI is $25,000 that doesn’t go to scholarships or to the library,” Dobson said.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: (April 16, 2009)

The Hatchet misspelled the last name of Kim Wollner as Wolner.

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