The Castleton University Student Nurses Association requested funds from the school’s Student Government Association at the Feb. 28 meeting for its Global Brigades trip to Honduras to help residents of the impoverished nation.

            Twenty SNA students will be in Honduras from March 16-26 working with other medical professionals in a new community of 3,000 people.

            “We are going on medical brigade. Three days of medical and we’ll be doing public health as well. It’s going to be water systems and concrete flooring,” said nursing student Bekah Jensen.

            Jensen added that the club has been fund-raising for almost a year now, not only for the cost of the flight but also for supplies. The club will be bringing 40 suitcases worth of medical supplies with thousands of hygiene packs.

            Because of issues in the club, SNA was late in asking student government leaders for funding and had to pay more out of pocket than expected. However, the SGA agreed to reimburse the club $5,662 with the stipulation that club members who don’t attend the trip must donate to the new community in Honduras.

            Also at the meeting, the SGA voted to move forward with plans to build a disc golf course on campus. SGA members said there were many chances for students to voice their opinions on the issue but little to no feedback was received. As the elected voices of the students, SGA made the decision to move forward with the project saying it will improve campus.

            A committee for the project has been formed to decide which course option will be best for campus. The committee consists of Tyler Anderson, Mitchell LaFlam, Emma Blaiklock, Danny Warnecke, Ryan Murphy and Bre Morse, who will serve as committee leader. As of now, the budget is still in the works, but the committee hopes to not exceed $25,000. All money for the course will come from the SGA fund balance.

            In other news:

• SGA members will attended a retreat the weekend of March 3. The retreat will consist of workshops and presentations and members will be staying at The Sagamore Hotel, Lake George, New York. Because it is the hotel’s off-season, SGA will be staying for less than the normal rate of $250 a night for a single person.
• Tickets for the April 29 Yankees-Orioles game at Yankee Stadium will be available soon. Students will only pay $60 for a ticket and will be fed all they can eat at the stadium.
• Secretary Kara Blakeman has been selected to find a tobacco rep to help integrate Castleton University into a tobacco-free campus.
• The SGA website is up and running and its blog will be online soon.