The SGA Constitution stipulates that the SGA President shall publish a state of the campus address once per academic year. As my term comes to an end, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to inform the campus about SGA’s activities this year.
This year, SGA was the largest it has ever been with fifty-six members. This was the first year with a functioning Judicial Board and a full cabinet of secretaries. It was also the first year clubs besides the Big 5 were able to elect club senators, and six clubs did so. Several new clubs were chartered by SGA including the Chess Club, Math Club and App Development Club. SGA held the Color Me Happy Run/Walk to benefit its new charity, Embrace It Africa, which raised $2,600. We restarted several SGA committees that had been outlined in the constitution, but seldom filled. The committees reinstated include the Student Affairs Committee, Budget Committee, Membership Committee, Equity & Inclusion Committee, External Affairs Committee and Academic Affairs Committee. SGA members served on Faculty Senate Committees, Board of Trustees Committees and other committees across campus. Students also sat on the committees for the new general education courses.
We created new SGA procedures to improve the functioning of the body as a whole. The first step was creating a formal nomination process for unfilled positions. For those unfamiliar with SGA constitution, the president is given the responsibility of nominating people to fill all vacancies. With thirteen appointed positions, plus a few class vacancies, this was a daunting task. We opened nominations to not only the entire SGA, but also campus faculty and staff. Next, we changed the way the appointees are confirmed. In the past the Senate was often voting on nominees they didn’t know. We created a formal process where those nominated came to a special Senate meeting. They introduced themselves to the Senate and explained why they were interested in SGA and this position as well as any relevant experience. The Senate could then know who they were voting to confirm and who they would be working with for the next year. This step increased Senate oversight.
In October, the SGA Student Affairs Committee successfully orchestrated a complex campaign to protect the current open period, which works best for students. They created a referendum through my.sbu.edu to gather info about students’ schedules and preferred time for lunch, meetings and other activities. They presented three options about the open period to the SGA Senate. The SGA Senate voted to maintain the open period as it was. The recommendation was then made into a Faculty Senate motion. At the Faculty Senate meeting where the motion was to be voted on, over 40 students were present and were given the chance to participate in the discussion. SGA thanks the Student Affairs Committee and other SGA members that successfully advocated for students’ interests.
SGA passed its first official recommendation this past semester. We recommended to the Board of Trustees that they change the name of the Paladino House to the Belesario & Sara House. Even though it was not the final decision, it was a significant step for SGA. This option was one of four SGA Senators submitted about the Paladino House. SGA held open forums for students to express their opinions and spent several SGA meetings discussing the options together. The precedent of an official SGA recommendation is now outlined in the new Bylaws. This formal recommendation process gives SGA an official and formal voice in important issues.
As far as our records show, SGA never had any bylaws. After the revisions made to the constitution last year, bylaws were needed. The Ad Hoc Bylaws Committee made up of members of the Senate and two judicial board members wrote the very first SGA Bylaws for the function of SGA. The entire Senate had the opportunity to discuss and amend them on the floor. The bylaws contain information regarding SGA members’ responsibilities, the functioning of various SGA committees, community service hours for clubs and organizations, and more. They were successfully passed and are now in full effect. They are available for viewing on my.sbu.edu along with the constitution.
SGA is in great hands with the incoming SGA President, Haylei John. The progress made this year will only continue with the incoming Executive Board and the returning senators. Thank you to all the students, faculty and staff that supported SGA this year. GO BONAS!
Anneliese Quinlan is a contributing writer for The Bona Venture. Her email is quinlaama@bonaventure.edu
