By: Emmalee Anglemyer
Layout Manager, Staff-Writer
The Student Government Association met March 7, focusing on tying up loose ends from previous meetings and setting precedents to use in funding requests from student organizations.
President Chloe Garner presented the final version of the SGA’s Creative Collaborations proposal, which would have the SGA team up with Creative Dining Services to improve access to various dietary options and culturally diverse meal offerings, as well as to help grow student engagement with dining services.
President Garner revisited the funding request from the Student Nurses Association that the senate narrowly voted against – seven to five – on Feb. 21. Garner said she spoke with senators who voted against funding the SNA’s conference trip to determine what contributed to their decision and whether partial funding would be favored. She reminded the senate that they could introduce a new motion to fund the request, as long as the amount was different from the request that previously failed. Ultimately, the SGA voted to fund the SNA up to $3,500 for travel, lodging and registration, about one third of the group’s original request.
The SGA also heard other funding requests. Titan Productions requested $3,000 to fund food for this year’s IU Day, April 23. Titan Pro representative and SGA senator Jesuri Vazquez explained that IU Day, in addition to being an enjoyable campus event, encourages alumni to donate. The senate voted to fund Titan Pro up to $3,000 for food, with other expenses for the event coming out of the existing Titan Pro budget.
The senate revisited a tabled request from the French Club for $600 to bring students to the Art Institute of Chicago, passing funding for the full amount.
In his report, SGA Adviser Scott Strittmatter informed senators that the Student Life Awards have broken a record for most nominations ever received, with 148 nominations covering over 100 individuals on campus. Strittmatter said the award selection committee would struggle to choose between the many qualified contenders.
In committee reports, Safety and Wellness reported that they will hold a meditation event March 25 from 5-6 p.m., rescheduling the event from its original date, which fell during spring break. The Philanthropy Committee announced April 9 as the date for this year’s annual benefit dinner.
Filling vacancies in the organization, the SGA also appointed two new members at this meeting. Sophomore Stefan Obradovic was appointed unanimously as an associate justice with hopes of becoming a senator in the future. He said his primary goal is to “bring some togetherness” to campus and encourage students to be involved.
Sophomore Andy Phillips was also appointed unanimously as Athletics Liaison, a position tasked with supporting positive relationships between athletic teams and the SGA. Phillips said his priorities are health and wellness, hoping to start athletic clubs on campus and encourage participation in intramural sports.
Concluding the meeting, SGA members discussed how they will handle funding requests for conferences in the future. Senators raised various points, with some saying accessibility should be a factor – are all students welcome to attend, or does the event only include a narrow group of participants? How will students not attending benefit from the knowledge and experience of the attendees? The group also discussed how to define an academic versus a “networking” conference; some suggest that networking should be considered educational depending on the field of study.
Some senators agreed that travel and lodging are the most important things to fund, with other expenses potentially remaining the requesting group’s responsibility. While the SGA established some internal standards for future financial decision-making, President Garner said the guidelines are not set in stone and exceptions are bound to arise.
The SGA meets every Friday from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in SAC 225. These meetings are public, and students are encouraged to attend.
