The Simpson College board of trustees last Friday approved the EPIC Corporate Challenge as proposed by the Student Government Association in a resolution to promote the leadership of women on campus.

The EPIC Corporate Challenge outlines goals that promote the retention, hiring, equal payment and leadership of women within organizations that sign on to the challenge. The state of Iowa, Drake University and many other corporations and institutions have already committed to the challenge.

Senior Sen. Britney Samuelson has spearheaded the challenge and said: “I’m so proud to go to an institution that not only recognizes the importance of equality but that is also proactive in its efforts to achieve it. The commitment to equality that the board of trustees and the administration have shown by accepting the EPIC Corporate Challenge makes me optimistic for the future of Simpson, and I am eager to see the impact that this agreement will have on the college in the years to come.”

Of the five areas of improvement put forward by the EPIC Corporate Challenge, the board approved to move forward with three:

— To increase the retention rate of women at all levels within Simpson
— To monitor, discover and address gender-based pay gaps
— To increase the number of women on the Simpson College board of trustees

This action was brought to the attention of the administration after members of the SGA met with President Jay Simmons and his Cabinet. After receiving support from Simmons, the SGA passed a resolution encouraging the administration and the board of trustees to sign the EPIC Corporate Challenge.

To further promote the leadership of women on our campus, the SGA will be hosting the event Ladies who Lead: A Panel on Women in Leadership at 7 p.m. on Feb. 23 in Hubbell Hall I. The panel will include well-known women representing government, business, the nonprofit sector, and science, technology, engineering and math fields, who will discuss the benefits of having women in leadership, as well as their own experiences as female leaders in the community.

For more information on The EPIC Challenge, visit
https://www.iwlcleads.org/epic/.

For a full copy of the resolution, contact Samuelson at [email protected]

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The Simpson College Student Government Association has allocated $15,000 to lighting fixtures to be installed around campus.

This proposal will fund the installment of 26 light fixtures across campus. This project is being funded by two groups: one-third of the project being funded by the SGA and two-thirds being funded by Simpson College.

This proposal was officially approved by the SGA on Jan. 25 and approved by the board of trustees on Friday. The SGA is hopeful that the additional lights will make Simpson a safe and more aesthetically appealing campus.

This is just the first phase in the project.

This proposal is only funding lighting fixtures that were deemed high-priority lighting areas. There is another $55,000 worth of low-priority lighting areas that will be paid for over time from the school’s normal maintenance budget.

Over the next few years, students should expect to see improved lighting across campus.

For more information about the lighting proposal, contact Student Body President
Sydney Samples at [email protected]

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The Simpson College Student Government Association has completed a project to install a grate on the stairs in Dunn Library to protect the fish living beneath it.

In previous years, the fish have been harmed and killed by dirt, sand and salt tracked in by shoes, and dropped into the pond from the stairwell.

It is expensive to replace the fish and clean their enclosure.

In order to save the 12 fish living in the pond, the SGA spent $1340 to create a barrier prevent falling debris. This will protect the filtration system and keep the fish happy and healthy.