The Student Government Association discussed many changes and updates on campus, some within SGA, and voted on four open proposals.
Senators heard from vice president of Student Development André Stephens, associate dean of Student Development Kevin Grant and director of communications Brenda Velasco on academic and administrative prioritization process. Grant explained the prioritization process began in May 2016 with the hope of redistributing $15 million among academic and administrative programs. Within the two sides each program got placed in one of five categories: maintain, reduce, increase, substantive change or phase out. Faculty and staff will learn of the reports on March 8, with the intention of students learning the information on March 22.
The executive board shared updates, including the availability of voting booths Wednesday, March 8. Each dorm will have a booth from 8-9 p.m. as well as one outside of Sutherland Hall following AfterDark. SGA vice president of diversity and inclusion Ryan Colwell discussed a survey on equity in classrooms, which the senators will administer during SGA Hour on Sunday, March 5.
SGA president Jessica Snow and senior vice president Sam Jackson also talked about changing the staff structure of SGA for next year. They hope to eliminate four senator positions, one each from Hope, Horton, Alpha and the block, as well as split the vice president of marketing and communications position into vice president of community relations and marketing coordinator. The community relations position will work on SGA GoCards and scholarships, and the marketing coordinator on all other SGA promotions. Snow and Jackson expressed they hope the changes will spread the workload effectively and efficiently.
Snow also shared her idea of creating a House of Representatives, in which one student from each major would meet with an elected president once a month to focus on academics. The students would receive no pay, except through food at their monthly meeting. The president would then discuss the academic issues with provost and senior vice president Deborah Taylor.
Hope South senator Sierra McCoy asked the senators to question their constituents about what Pandora stations of music students hope to hear on campus. McCoy also shared the basic needs committee will begin accepting meals for food insecure students next week.
VOTING
The mental awareness week proposal by Hope resident advisors passed in the partial amount of $700 with a vote of 13-0-2. They decided not to give the full $850 because of the high cost of stress balls.
The Star Wars proposal by freshman business administration major Alex Loeber and Biola alumnus Raymond Mandiola passed in the partial amount of $2,500 with a vote of 10-2-3. The senators believed they asked for too much prize money.
Senior cinema and media arts major Joseph Olvera’s proposal for hosting a film premiere passed in the full amount of $500 with a vote of 13-0-2.
The Mosaic Masquerade proposal passed in the partial amount of $6,000 with a vote of 13-0-2. This vote occurred after the original vote of passing it in the full amount of $6,300 with a vote of 5-8-2. The senators saw the extra $300 as unnecessary in comparison to last year’s $6,000.
