The final meeting of the Student Government Association was full of substance this week. Awards were given, senators and leaders were elected and a few hands were figuratively slapped.

Administrative Vice President Priyanka Veerlapati and senior Arts and Sciences Senator Pat Devney presented SGA Excellence Awards at the Wednesday, April 30, meeting to members of the Saint Louis University community, including an alumnus, a current student and a nonfaculty staff member.

The Mary A. Bruemmer Award, named for former SGA Moderator Bruemmer and given annually to a nonfaculty member of SLU, was awarded to SGA Operations Adviser David Young. Veerlapati read from a nomination for Young, in which senior Arts and Sciences Sen. Aaron LaPlante called Young, “the best administrator I know.”

The George D. Wendel Civic Leadership Award was presented to SLU alumnus Kevin Lee, who received his master’s at SLU in 2004 and is currently president of Loyola Academy in St. Louis, a Jesuit middle school for underprivileged boys.

The Joseph F. Hodes Student of the Year Award was given to senior Josh Simpson. Simpson is a member of the Army National Guard and has served as a military police officer. He has been a member of College Republicans, OkSoberfest, Club SLU and the Undergraduate English Club and is the former president of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

Then, SGA President Andrew Clifton (now president-emeritus) gave the President’s award to then-SGA Academic Vice President Tyler Brownfield. The annual award is chosen by the SGA president; Clifton cited Brownfield’s level-headedness and his impact on student government.

Clifton also responded to an incident that happened on Friday, April 25, in which members of the newly elected SGA Executive Board, of the Voice for Progress Ticket, hosted a celebratory party in which members wore the ticket’s colors. Alcohol was made available to minors at the party, which was hosted in the Coronado Apartments.

“Alcohol was distributed to minors on a fairly large scale . By no means has this been pleasant for the Executive Board [for the 2007-08 school year],” Clifton said.

He continued by reading an official statement from the 2007-08 board members, which said the incident was in “clear disrespect and disregard,” to the rules of the University.

“I condemn the actions that were made . [but] we still have much faith that [next year] will be one of great success,” Clifton said.

Then-SGA Executive Vice President Samantha Howard (now SGA president) said she “genuinely apologize[d] for the poor judgment, led by myself.”

Howard said that she and the 2008-09 Executive Board had already met with the Conduct Board and that “[the Executive Board-elect] has to adhere to what’s passed in legislation tonight.”

Senior Business School Sen. Sean Flanagan brought forth a resolution to censure the Executive Board-elect, and encouraged their “work with a local organization or agency such as [the National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse] during the coming summer months and provide community service to that organization according to their needs,” among other recommendations.

“This is a public denunciation that we, as a body, as a Senate, don’t condone this,” Flanagan said.

Howard said she would like alcohol awareness to become a priority of SGA and have the Senate volunteer with alcohol centers.

The resolution passed after debate and discussion over SGA’s involvement as a punitive body. Howard and the rest of the Executive Board were inducted along with several senators to serve on next year’s SGA.

Also in this week’s meeting:

 Men’s Club Lacrosse was awarded $6,525 in spot-funding to cover costs of transportation and lodging at a national tournament in Dallas.

 The Senate passed a Resolution encouraging the administration to “further centralize current sustainability initiatives by collaboratively deliberating the creation of a Campus Sustainability Office.”

 The Senate passed a resolution to recognize and congratulate winners of the 2008 Faculty Excellence Award Winners: Debbie Pike; Elizabeth Zeibig, Ph.D.; Martha Schockey-Eckles, Ph.D.; Kevin Scannell, Ph.D.; Oscar Martinez Tapia; Belden Lane, Ph.D.; Sr. Kathleen Sullivan; and Jeral Becker, Ph.D.