The final Student Government Association (SGA) meeting of the semester took place on Tuesday, April 23. To begin the meeting, Vice President Brian Reid handed over the gavel to Vice President-Elect Steven Sommer before the start of open forum.
The Senate spent open forum primarily discussing parking issues on campus. One senator commented that some students were parking on campus without decals or with the wrong type of decal. Another senator brought forward the concern that freshmen students, who are not permitted to park at the university except in certain cases, have also used the parking decals of upperclassmen in order to park.
Haley Vest, executive senator and president-elect, also mentioned that it is possible for the lines of Cox Lot to be repainted further apart in order to increase the amount of space in each parking spot. She said that there are technically more parking spaces than decals, so the few spaces lost in such a project would most likely not be detrimental to parking on campus.
All parking concerns will be directed to the Office of Parking Services. Historian Paige Rollins brought several constitutions to the Senate.
Kappa Delta Pi requested amendments to their current constitution, adjusting their current dues in order to cover initiation and graduation fees. The Senate approved these changes.
The SGA also approved the constitution of the Longwood University chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, a national political science honor society. The society requires its members to have a strong interest in political science and a 3.25 GPA among other factors.
The constitution for the She’s the First Club was also up for approval. The club’s purpose is to raise money to donate to the non-profit organization She’s the First, which aids the education of girls in developing countries. The organization plans to host events and speakers, and the SGA approved of the club. The Senate also approved of the HEAL Club, which plans to promote healthy eating on campus.
The SGA did not approve of Club Verve’s constitution. Conversation surrounding the constitution included worries about the business aspect of the energy drink and the fact that it is not a Pepsi product while Longwood University is a Pepsi campus.
Zeta Tau Alpha fraternity for women’s constitution was also not approved. The fraternity can bring their constitution back to the Senate in the future.
The Student Finance Committee (SFC) brought forward several allocations to the Senate. The SGA allocated $901.74 to Student Health Partners. The Senate then re-allocated $1,375 for gifts and raffles, $400 for transportation and food, and $10 for overhead food, all to the senior class. The senior class also received an allocation of $1,165 for food and novelties.
SFC allocated a total of $3,500 to Lancer Productions to cover conference fees. SFC also allocated $7,500 to Mortar Board to allow them to book an agent to hire Oktoberfest bands.
The motion to allocate $350 for a plane ticket to a conference for Phi Mu Delta Fraternity failed.
Today, Wednesday, April 24, the 2013-2014 Senate will be inaugurated on the front steps of Lankford Student Union at 7 p.m. The SGA will be in session at the beginning of next school year.
