The Student Government Association focused on preparing new senators, a proposal and the budget.
The meeting started off with senators watching the last “senate boys” video that recapped previous proposals for students to share their opinion on.
Senators also spent time brainstorming ways they can spend their discretionary funds for their dorm halls, including ways to support students during finals week with food. Each senator shared their ideas, including coffee, frisbees, bubbles, donuts, kombucha and pho.
The executive board shared updates, including SGA vice president of diversity and inclusion Leilani Bañuelos feeling the National Student Leadership Diversity Convention did not provide as much information as she and incoming vice president of diversity Mindy Kim had expected. SGA president Gregory Ambrose also shared that he along with several SGA members will meet with chief diversity officer Tamra Malone to discuss a letter written to administration concerning the diversity conversation on campus.
Current senators shared how their training of the new members is going. They also shared ways to improve training, including recommending senators to attend another senate meeting besides mock senate.
The remainder of the meeting included a mock senate, where incoming senators learned from current senators about their President’s Administrative Council partnerships. The incoming senators also practiced a mock proposal and voting. They also discussed the styles of business casual, smart casual and office clothes.
PROPOSAL
Ambrose proposed for $1,431 to fund a three-year membership for the American Student Government Association conference. Ambrose and SGA vice president of community relations Lauren Peterson attended the conference last semester and found it beneficial. With the membership, future members would be able to attend the Washington, D.C. conference for $100 off of the registration fee, as well as receive discounts on other conferences and access to resources online. Ambrose is waiting to hear back about receiving a possible lower grandfathering rate but proposed the highest amount in preparation.
Next year’s SGA vice president of finance, technology and HR Nathan Carmack and current vice president of finance, technology and HR Keaton Kerr proposed $65,956.50 for the fall semester budget for SGA. The total amount comes from the estimated accumulated student fee of 3,820 students.
A total of $11,600 was proposed for general expenses, such as Collegiumscholarships, copying costs and office expenses.
The payroll category totaled $45,036.50 to pay all SGA employees.
Marketing and Communications’ proposed budget came out as $3,915 for internal and external branding as well as staff apparel.
A total of $5,405 was given as the appointed amount for the discretionary funds of the president, senior vice president, VP of finance, technology and HR and each senator.
Other student groups who receive a portion of the student fee have the following proposed amounts: Student Programming and Activities for $171,900 and The Biolan and the Chimes for $89,388.
