Associated Students will dissolve and separate into two distinct organizations in fall 2015. Student government and events planning, previously under AS, will each have their own establishment with the implementation of Student Government Association and Student Programming and Activities.
This split aims to streamline the senators’ job so student advocacy becomes a priority, said Laura Igram-Edwards, director of student programming and activities and AS advisor.
“In order to allow both sides of this current organization to focus on what they need to focus on, we thought that a split would be the best. Whenever it’s combined into one large organization, the thing that gets overlooked is the advocacy and representation because it’s less tangible,” Igram-Edwards said.
ADDRESSING CONCERNS
Senators will now be able to meet more regularly with administrators through Senate-President’s Administrative Council partnerships that began spring 2014 to directly address student needs and issues. Students have raised concerns over the new core curriculum, food in the cafeteria, what the Biola Store offers, and the needs of female students, staff and faculty on campus. The concern over Biola women not feeling welcome in the campus environment has already begun to be addressed with a new committee starting up soon that will work for the rights of all females on campus, Igram-Edwards said.
Administrators have already begun to request senators to sit in on their meetings to include student input and interest, Igram-Edwards said.
“This allows senators to focus on true advocacy issues rather than worrying about passing funds for new or different events in AS,” Igram-Edwards said.
SGA will only be involved in deciding club funding and will no longer be involved in passing budget for on-campus student activities.
“They’re going to have a bigger chunk to student programming and they’re going to have their budget to disperse how they want to do it. Now with all the money going into this one pool, they’re going to be able to disperse it how they need to and it’s a lot less clunky, “ said Anders Corey, vice president of AS marketing and communications.
A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE
Student Programming and Activities will work directly under Igram-Edwards and Derek Gutierrez, assistant director of student programming.
Not only will this streamline the system, but it will also remove the tension in addressing the needs of both student government and events planning under one organization.
“There has been tension between the senators and the coordinators. They’re in the same organization but they’re completely separate and different — that makes it hard to work together with all those technicalities. But now looking forward, I think their relationship’s going to be a lot better,” Corey said.
Student Development made the decision for the split after observing and talking with 10 or 11 small colleges that have made the shift in the last 10-15 years, Igram-Edwards said.
“I started looking and talking with other institutions about their structures and some limitations in what our structure has in place. And the research found out that it would be best to include two separate organizations to allow both to focus on their roles,” Igram-Edwards said.
While internally student government and programming will see a significant change, no change will likely be seen externally.
“All the same events are still going to be there. They’re probably going to be run better and be better organized,” Corey said.
