The senate meeting began with West Block senator Grant Morgan sharing an opportunity for Student Government Association members to join the Council for the Core on a student task force. The task force, consisting of eight members, will give feedback on the changes the council hopes to make to students’ general education units.
Administrative director in the Office of the President Brian Shook and assistant director of university events Hilary Dempster shared possible changes to spring commencement and chapels. Due to the current building of the Alton and Lydia Lim Center for Science, Technology and Health, university events is considering moving the commencement ceremonies from McNally Field to Metzger Lawn. The ceremonies would have to be split, either by undergraduate and graduate or by school, as done for the first time in December 2016. If all undergraduates were kept in one ceremony, the number of tickets per student would decrease from between eight and 10 to five or six. However, the senators seemed more interested in having the undergraduates all in one ceremony.
Shook then discussed how chapel attendance on Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning chapels has decreased over the years and the university has considered changing the starting time of chapel, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.. The senators attributed the lower attendance to the longer time commitment compared to prayer chapels and the uncomfortable seats. Shook also shared how administration hopes to have an all-community chapel of students, faculty and staff once a month.
Lastly, senators shared with Shook how President Barry Corey could further engage with the student body, including attending chapels besides morning ones, visiting clubs and making time to regularly meet with students.
PROPOSALS
Sam Jackson, senior vice president, proposed several constitutional amendments to the process of determining SGA election winners. The amendments would require an uncontested presidential race to go through a hiring process rather than receive the vote of 10 percent of students, the removal of Student Missionary Union members on the election committee and for uncontested senator races to go through the hiring process as well, rather than gathering signatures. If passed, the amendment would go into effect for this year’s election.
Sigma senator Katie Davis proposed for $1,100 to fund hammocks and rope kits for hammock stations on campus. Before proposing, Davis secured the approval of Risk Management to install the hammocks. The money would go towards buying 20 hammocks and rope kits to supply stations at the Olive Grove and in front of the Student Union Building. Students could then rent out the hammocks and rope kits for free in the SGA office. The stations will have three or four poles each, hanging a maximum of four people at a time.
