CE Meeting Minutes - 27 October 2024

CE Meeting Minutes - 27 October 2024112th Senate Committee onCivic EngagementDate: 10/27/2024Time: 12:00-12:25pmLocation: ZoomPresent: Angela Xiong (Committee Chair), Ethan Edelstein, Prisha Agrawal, Lucy Landry,Sumire SumiAbsent (Excused):Absent (Unexcused): Yonatanne Desta, Cynthia Hidalgo-SanchezVisitors: Brendon Davis (Science Policy and Diplomacy Group), Lauren Hesse (Science Policyand Diplomacy Group)Meeting began at 12:03pm.● Brendon Davis○ VP of Science Policy for the Science Policy and Diplomacy Group○ Discussion of the past work of the group■ Annual Hill Day - advocacy in DC for different projects (COVID endedthis, but it was revived last year)● STEM student immigration● Alternative protein farming choices● Women’s health research (led by Lauren Hesse)■ Writing projects, workshops■ Handouts and emails to congressional offices○ Traditionally run by graduate students and postdocs■ How could we incorporate undergraduate students more?● Give SGA the roadmap and help plan with the Hill Day?● Choosing general initiatives applicable to undergrads to create alarger Hill Day?● Lauren Hesse○ Shared WHRA Hill Day One PagerCE Meeting Minutes - 27 October 2024■ Everything works fast on the Hill● Staffers and congressional offices are busy all the time andmeetings are short; attention must be fought for■ One way to do this is to make it personal to gain attention● “Everyone has had a woman in their life that has beenoverlooked…”○ Starting conversations organically, then opening it up topolicy recommendations■ Offices may tell you that some things that cannot bechanged○ We must send lots of emails and hope that they haveavailability on the same days○ Willing to share their funding processes● Brendon Davis - Does the committee have a vision for what to advocate for?○ Angela Xiong - National advocacy day, Maryland general assembly■ Health policy, science policy● More bipartisan, students are interested in these fields at Hopkins● Interested in exploring the intersection of science and policy■ SGA can provide some funding■ This year the committee would like to work Hesse and Davis● More volunteers would be needed for our own full, independentadvocacy day, so this may not be possible this year● Brendon Davis - Recommends that the committee choose a specific initiative○ For example, this year’s Hill Day will focus on language appropriations○ Lauren Hesse - one or two of the committee/SGA members should work on eachof the initiatives we choose● Angela Xiong - what does planning for Hill Day look like?○ Brendon Davis - big groups meetings with all three initiatives once a month■ Big training session closer to Hill Day■ Smaller, more frequent group meetings for individual initiatives○ Lauren Hesse - discussion on group activities, embassy visits● Brendon Davis - help with the budget can be given, would be great to get more peopleinvolved● Prisha Agrawal - Let’s open this up to SGA as a volunteering opportunity; see who wouldwant to help especially since this is such a small committee● Brendon Davis - Hill Day is a large commitment○ Research, writing, and preparation goes into this■ Those interested must keep dates open in march■ A big commitment, but it's worth it○ Most meetings will be on Zoom until the large training day■ This is because many people from different campuses will be joining● Davis and Hesse will continue to keep in touch with and update Angela XiongMeeting ended at 12:25pm.