This week’s meeting of the Student Government Association was all about change and precedent. Dean of Students Scott Smith and Director of Student Support and Parent Services Donna Bess Meyers gave a presentation regarding changes to the structure of the Student Involvement Center. According to Smith, the structure created a hierarchy that kept departments from working with the administrators they need to work closely with. In the new structure, Smith said communication will flow more efficiently, thereby keeping the interests of students as the motivating factor.
“Decisions have to be about students, not about the staff,” Smith said. “If I’m making decisions thinking my constitutions are the staff, I have failed you already.”
The senate then moved into a discussion of spot funding for Club Rugby, who hopes to attend a tournament in two weeks. They asked for an allocation of $5380 to pay for hotels and vans, but did not ask for money for plane tickets, as they had already started to purchase them with alumni funding in hopes of getting them at a reduced rate.
Questions were raised about funding for vans, as funding guidelines does not allow allocating money for this. Fusz Hall Senator Caroline Rutledge proposed an amendment that would allocate $4500 towards airline costs instead so that senate could still support the team.
“In funding history, has senate ever tried to fund something that was not requested?” School of Public Health Senator Matt Ryan asked.
First-year Senator Joe Woster stated that he was uncomfortable with such an amendment due to the burden it would place on the Student Activity Fee. Black Student Alliance Senator Kale Kponee encouraged Senate to be concrete in their decisions.
“We can’t keep flip flopping. One minute were doing this with spot funding, next minute we’re doing that,” Kponee said. “Senate just needs to stop talking about precedent. We look like a senate that can’t make up its mind.”
The amendment did not pass, but a new amendment was proposed to lower the amount to $2225 for plane tickets in lieu of funding for vans. This amendment passed, as did the spot-funding bill for the Club Rugby team, allocating them $5130.
Two new student organizations, Acts64, a Christian ministry group, and Engineering World Health, a group that works on engineering projects with third-world countries, both received chartering.
