Gabrielle Lanius
News Staff Writer
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The Student Government Association started off their first meeting of the semester by discussing upcoming events and plans to engage the campus community. Plans for the Winter Carnival, Greenfest and Love Fest are among the main events planned for this semester.
Cate O’Connor, assistant director of evening and weekend programs of Highsmith, talked about the planned events within Highsmith for the student body.
“This semester we are going to be doing the Winter Carnival Feb. 8 to 12, which gives us the opportunity to celebrate the winter season. This will be almost like a homecoming in the spring. The theme of the winter carnival is the Olympics because they are this year,” O’Connor said.
According to the Highsmith Student Union, the Winter Carnival will include a lip-sync competition, fashion show, ice sculpture contest and Olympic Games.  After the lip-sync competition and step show exhibition on Friday, Feb. 9 there will be an after party in Highsmith. Activities start on Feb. 9 with the the opening ceremony and end on Feb. 12 after the fashion show.
All details for any of the peer competitions or events and forms for participation can be located under the Activities and Events tab on the Highsmith Union webpage.  
Tim Hussey, student body president, turned the meeting to Maggie Clerkin, executive of sustainability and wellness, to talk about the upcoming Greenfest where SGA partners with Outdoor Programs and the Student Environmental Center to coordinate the event and educate the student body on sustainability while having fun.
“We have about 20 different events planned for the week, ranging from small works and a crafting station to our keynote speaker Audrey Peterman on Monday night at 7 p.m. We will also be having events in Brown where we will be hosting local chefs and restaurants,” Clerkin said.
Students can expect a wide variety of activities and food while learning about environmental sustainability and how to promote a sustainable way of life.
Lauren Bulla, SGA vice president, said she has been organizing two week-long event series since last semester, with the first of the two being Lovefest.
“This event going to be in February from the 12 to the 16 and essentially it will be centered around the concepts of self-love and care around Valentine’s Day,” Bulla said. “While typically this holiday calls for romantic love, which many of us do feel, focusing on self-love during this time will help individuals from feeling invalidated if they do not have a romantic partner to share this time with.”
Bulla plans for her second event to take place during the month of April, the month of sexual-violence awareness and prevention, and it will focus around that topic on campus.
SGA continues to work with other organizations on campus planning other small events for the semester. Specifically, SGA will  work with the athletic department on planning some events such as cookouts and interactive games for the faculty and staff.
“We are going to be finalizing the details for collaborating on upcoming events for the semester and year in future meetings of SGA,” said Rachel Maynard, Association of Student Governments liaison.