The Student Government Association meeting included several discussions, including the topics of Title IX, accessibility standards, SGA’s dress code and finances and one internal proposal.
Title IX coordinator Dawn White helped senators better understand the complexities of Title IX and sexual assault. White explained Title IX as a federal law on equity and gender requiring schools to avoid discrimination in education and federally funded school activities. As a part of Title IX, misunderstandings regarding the topic of sexual assault remain a concern. Such examples include that sexual assault equals stranger rape, it happens to certain people, and only women are survivors and men are perpetrators. White shared several statistics disproving these points, including how sexual assaults happen 46 percent of the time by someone the victim knows, 21 percent by friends and 19 percent by a stranger. She also offered some ways students can respond to this topic include listening well, believing the victim and not trying to classify the situation, as well as encouraging the victim to write down details they can remember, seek medical attention and talk to Student Development.
After this heavy topic, conversation moved to a lighter one of accessibility standards for social media and SGA’s dress code. Senior vice president Ella Corey discussed Biola’s new guidelines for social media accounts containing the word Biola in the title. One change includes making sure any words included in a photo on Instagram will also appear in the caption for visually impaired students. Corey also outlined the dress code SGA representatives should follow.
Vice president of finance, technology and HR Keaton Kerr laid out new finance guidelines. This year SGA will use the purchasing department’s services rather than filling out reimbursement and cash advance forms on a regular basis. Kerr also reminded the senators to keep their receipts for any purchases they do make and hope to receive a reimbursement from.
PROPOSALS
Gregory Ambrose, SGA president, proposed $5,000 for a trip to Washington, D.C. to attend the American Student Government Association conference. Vice president of community relations Lauren Peterson would join Ambrose in going to the conference, which is from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1. The money would fund airline tickets, hotel rooms, transportation costs, 20 meals and registration for the conference.
VOTING
The senators voted to have a same day vote and then passed the proposal in full with a vote of 11-0-0. Before voting the senators discussed the large cost of the proposal and benefits of the conference including networking with other schools and benefitting SGA for years to come.
