The Student Government Association discussed Homecoming Queen Election changes, the UTM bookstore relocation and student debt at the Sept. 19 meeting.
Katie Jarvis gave a presentation on Up ‘Til Dawn.
“We’re coming to SGA for teams of six. Each team has to raise a total of $600 per team to be invited to the grand finale event Nov. 22-23,” Jarvis said.
Jarvis also informed the assembly that this year’s Up ‘Til Dawn will be very different from last year.
“Last year’s main focus of UTD was the letter writing event. This year we’re revamping UTD,” Jarvis said.
The letter writing event is going to be just one of the ways to raise money. There will be several opportunities to collect donations, such as the head-shaving event.
The deadline to register as a team is Sept. 26. Last year UTD raised about $39,000; this year the goal is $45,000. As of Sept. 19, UTM teams have raised $1,800 in processed donations.
The second speaker who gave a presentation was the Coordinator of Student Organizations, Katie Smith.
Smith spoke about some of the new features available to student organizations, such as the Rent-a-table option, Rent-a-board option and free display banners every two years. Smith publishes a new edition of The Hub, which is a newsletter for student organizations, every Thursday with updated information about club activities and events.
Vice President Alex Wilson introduced the Freshman Council Executive Council to the Student Body.
President Rick Drewery said that the recent SGA Networking Weekend went successful.
“This week’s LC meeting was by far the most productive I’ve been a part of. Networking weekend at UTK was outstanding. Thanks to [Secretary] Allie Avery and [Chairperson] Chelsea Boyd for attending with me,” Drewery said.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Dr. Margaret Toston, announced that the bookstore will be relocated downstairs in the University Center. One of her goals for this year is to help get student debt down.
“Enrollment is down three percent. We’re working to get those numbers turned around. The average national graduation rate is six years, and we want to work to get that debt rate down as well,” Tosten said.
Tosten encouraged students to use the Occupational Outlook Handbook to estimate how much income they can expect to earn in their desired field when they graduate.
John Able, Director of the University Center, reiterated the more secure voting associated with Homecoming this year. Students will vote through the UTM Portal this year. Previously students had to vote through a page on the UTM website, only using basic information to log in.
There were two resignations: Colin Watts, Senator for the College of Business and Global Affairs, and Justin Bailey, Senator for the College of Health, Education and Behavioral Sciences. Allie Clayton and Alan Friend were appointed in their positions respectively. Kate Kucherenko was also appointed to Senator at Large.
Chief of Staff, Bryan Swayze, shared the figures for SGA’s planned event at Quad City this year.
“We plan to have a mac and cheese bar this year. It’s going to be $448.50 for the macaroni from Sodexo, $20.00 for tables and chairs, and I went to Walmart and priced bowls and plates at about $10.00. Our goal is to keep the whole event under $500,” Swayze said. He asked Senators to volunteer for a 30 minute slot to serve their constituents.
Chief Justice Darian Matheny gave a Constitution Workshop as an introduction to SGA for new members and a refresher course for returning members. She covered responsibilities and duties for each member.
An updated version of the Constitution is available on the SGA website for the Student Body to access. The Academic Affairs Committee’s goal for the year is to add study dates back to the academic calendar.
Campus Observation plans to look into glass recycling and improving handicap accessibility. The committee is also going to place suggestion boxes in the UC and library as outlined in legislation from last year.
The Communications Committee plans to give out the SGA newsletter on Oct. 5 at Homecoming, and is working on improving relations with students, which is similar to UTK. Multicultural Affairs is planning Diversity Week, which is scheduled for Nov. 4-8.
The Procedures Committee members are working on making Freshman Council Bylaws more concrete. The Student Affairs Committee plans to increase communication between the students and administration. The committee is considering to host a SGA tailgating event, and even buy new exercise equipment for the Student Recreation Center.
The next SGA meeting will be Oct. 3 in University Center room 111.
