On September 13th, the Student Government Association held its semi-weekly meeting in the Burke Mountain Room. Numerous small topics were discussed alongside four central topics, the biggest being a vote that split the Student Government Association Representatives.
The first order of business was once again the ever-pressing budget predicament. While clubs did receive an email detailing their budget that was ratified last semester, those numbers are preliminary estimates as the general fund has still not been given to the SGA board. The board also has not received the holdover money from the previous school year, leaving clubs spending money blindly hoping that they’ll have it when the budget is finalized. Clubs who fundraised have not been given their money from fundraising yet either.
Secondly, a landmark case was voted on by the SGA general board. The vote was to determine if the president of the SGA would be eligible to run for president within another club. In a split choice, the vote resulted in a “No” decision, setting a likely landmark precedent regarding the dual-presidency status. Another vote was supposed to be taken place for another SGA Executive Board member but has since been cancelled due to the vote result for the president.
Coming up over the next two weeks are the SGA general elections. Petitions are supposed to be available on the SGA website, lyndonsga.wixsite.com, where prospective members can seek 100 signatures to be listed on the ballot. At the September 27th meeting, candidates will hold an open forum to take questions from the population, before elections are held the next week. Students will receive an email containing instructions on how to vote, with a link to an electronic ballot.
For the last key topic, the Lyndon 10% Committee is searching for two new students to become a part of he Committee. The 10% Committee was founded in 2015 and works on quality of life improvements on campus, such as upgraded water fountains and garden beds. Any students who are interested in becoming advisors can contact Johnathan Davis, Elizabeth Sousa, or any of the SGA board members. More information about this board should come soon as the students get elected.
Finally, a few smaller topics were discussed. The psychology department is now in the discussion for memorias for Ava Conklin with the SGA executive board. Clubs will now be required to give financial updates during SGA meetings, along with any financial request forms being due the Friday before a meeting. Clubs will now have promotional posters in a dedicated space in the student center, which is still being set up. Lastly the SGA now has a new instagram account, @vtsu_lyndon_sga, where they will post updates, giveaways, and other pertinent information about SGA matters.