KEY POINTS

On Friday, April 4, Biola University’s Student Government Association (SGA) met to discuss two student proposals and a variety of upcoming campus events. The following is a summary of the meeting:

• Biola University’s annual Spring Formal, organized by SGA, is taking place this Saturday, April 12. The theme is “Pride and Prejudice” and students are encouraged to dress accordingly.
• SGA Senate discussed a proposal to fund the Pulchrum Conference, planned for Saturday, April 26, 2025. 
• SGA Senate rejected a proposal to fund this semester’s Biola Film project. Senators cited the proposal’s nonessential expenses as well as a precedent set last semester regarding student film proposals. 
• A press conference is in the works between SGA and The Chimes Newspaper to answer any lingering questions surrounding SGA’s newly-appointed President Timothy J. Malley.

A “BEAUTY”-FUL PROPOSAL

SGA Senate began their meeting with a proposal from senior Cinema and Media Arts (CMA) major George Khoury. The proposal was for $1,600 to fund the upcoming Pulchrum Conference, specifically the supplies needed to provide attendees with a free home cooked-style dinner. 

Khoury began his proposal by asking the Senate to close their eyes and ground themselves to the present moment, as he played a brief excerpt from “an old American folk song” on the violin. Khoury then went on to provide some context for the event’s conception and development, as well as its present advertising and financial necessities. 

Khoury stated that the idea for the event came from a place of dissatisfaction, specifically with regard to the present dialogue among Christian artists concerning the implementation of “pulchrum” (Latin for “beauty”) in Christian art. Khoury also noted that this problem came from a discrepancy between considering beauty in theory and expressing beauty in practice. 

As a CMA major, Khoury noticed this the most within the film industry–specifically, the general perception surrounding Christian artists within the industry. “I am sick of hearing people making fun of Christian movies,” remarked Khoury. 

Khoury also hopes that the Pulchrum Conference will expand Biola’s understanding of not only “beauty,” but also “art.” According to Khoury, the conference’s three tenets—CONNECT, SHOWCASE, EMPOWER—will aim to provide a space for students to:

• CONNECT with Biola students in different majors, Biola alumni, and students from outside organizations,
• SHOWCASE student work, especially the work of students not enrolled in fine arts majors and 
• EMPOWER students not only talk about art, but to create it.

Khoury was fully transparent about the conference budget, providing Senate members with a QR code that sent them directly to the official conference accounting document. The total conference budget was $5,132.40, with $2,000 needed to cover the cost of providing the maximum 350 attendees with a free, home-cooked meal. The meal itself is courtesy of a team of student parents, working free-of-charge. 

Notably, Khoury emphasized the importance of engaging fellowship within the conference through a shared meal. One of the conference aims, according to Khoury, will be to provide a space that reintroduces the concept of “Beauty” back into the Christian sphere, not only among students in fine arts, but in all courses of study. Khoury calls it “the problem of crossover,” where students of different majors develop communities exclusively within their majors. 

Khoury stated that this “problem of crossover” will be solved by the passover of a shared dining experience—an intentional mixing of majors and backgrounds to produce a variety of diverse conversations throughout the evening. 

As for which outside institutions apart from Biola will be invited to the conference, Khoury only mentioned Vanguard University. 

While deliberations were held during the meeting, no voting could take place, due to missing paperwork. Even so, Bluff Senator James Kneeland put forward a motion for a same-day vote, stating, “I think it’s worth our money. It has its roots in classical Christianity, which I think Biola is really lacking.” 

Most of the other senators were in agreement with Kneeland’s motion for a same-day vote, regardless of the missing forms. However, Sigma Hall Senator Evan Thompson asked for a week to discuss the proposal with his constituents. He also warned against setting a precedent toward passing proposals that don’t follow the proper filing procedure.

“We can wait on this. I think it’s okay to wait a week,” said Senator Thompson. 

The rest of the Senate were in agreement, and the vote is set to take place during the next Senate meeting.

SGA DENIES BIOLA FILM PROPOSAL

Jaida and Jenna Carraway, two senior CMA majors, also presented a proposal to SGA to fund the Spring semester Biola Film premiere event. The proposal was for $800, which would go to funding the decorations and concessions for the film premiere event.

The comedy-action film, currently titled Grand Jest Auto, is set to premiere on May 3, from 6-9 p.m. Senior CMA major Heather Hemsely wrote the script, and the film is directed by senior CMA major Jonathan Kim. The film is based on Hemsley’s personal life, specifically her relationship with her father. 

“It’s like Home Alone—” said Jaida Carraway.

“—at an auto mechanic shop—” said her sister, Jenna.

“—but with robbers,” Jaida finished. 

The Carraway twins, in charge of funding the film premiere, conducted a fundraising campaign, but were unable to reach their intended donation goal. They also made a note of unexpected expenses during the film’s production, like a stunt coordinator. 

The Carraway twins also mentioned that this premiere will be the first with Biola University president Barry Corey in attendance. Their ultimate goal for the event was to “make this a night where everyone can come together.”

Deliberations began and senators discussed how SGA did, in fact, partially pass a Biola Film proposal last semester, but only due to an emergency in the film’s production that required the premiere itself to be pushed a day back. Last year’s premiere also included two films, though no Senate member could remember the exact amount of funding given to the projects. 

Stewart Senator Samuel Hernandez also mentioned that the Biola Film was technically a class project; as such, the production had already received a set amount of funding, which would take into account all purchases for the premiere event. Vice President Andrew Ambrose also noted that the red carpet and balloon arches were “more superficial than necessary.”

Kneeland made a motion to reject the proposal in full, with Hope Senator Kaitlyn Stetzer providing the second to the motion. Apart from a vote to abstain from Ambrose, and a “Nay” from Commuter Senator Evah Rubio, the vote was unanimous, and the proposal was denied.

After a two-minute break, it was communicated to President Jacqueline McCauslin that the Senate had actually passed a proposal of $1,200 for last semester’s Biola Film project, with $600 going to each film. 

COMMITTEE UPDATES

Ambrose announced to the Senate that an open press conference was currently in the works to answer any questions regarding the new presidency. Because this year’s SGA election was unable to produce a president, SGA, alongside faculty advisors, had to conduct a series of interviews to hire a representative from the student body. The newly-appointed SGA president Timothy J. Malley was later announced via an Instagram post on the official SGA account. 

The press conference, a collaborative project between SGA Senate and The Chimes, will give students a space to ask questions, as well as give Malley an opportunity to speak to the campus. All students and faculty are invited to the event.

SPRING FORMAL

The Spring Formal cCommittee also provided updates on the preparation for the annual Spring Formal. Students are encouraged to dress according to the theme of the dance, “Pride and Prejudice.”

CABINET UPDATES

McCauslin also provided the Senate with a few updates regarding some current restructuring of Biola’s Auxiliary Services department, as Senior Director of Auxiliary Services Beverly Cain is retiring. 

This week’s Senate meeting ended with a quick word from Rubio, who brought up a growing concern among students regarding increased difficulties in cooperating with Biola’s Office of Student Accessibility (OSA). According to Rubio, multiple students have had trouble receiving their prescribed accommodations from the OSA. The difficulties have reached the extent that many students, specifically those in the STEM department, have considered leaving campus. 

Rubio mentioned that there has been no change in leadership nor any change in the department itself. McCauslin noted that the student disability verification process itself already made things more difficult and that formal communications from the Senate would be made to the proper authorities.

With that, Wright closed in prayer and the meeting was concluded.