The first Student Government Association meeting of 2020 took place on Wednesday, January 29 at 8:05 PM in the Moore Community Room (ASAC 100). As usual, the meeting was livestreamed on the SGA’s Facebook page, so go check it out if you missed it!
Kicking off the meeting with Student Body Comments, there was a call for an update regarding what fonts would be considered for use on the diplomas. SGA President Kate Henriques said she would check with President Elaine Collins during her next meeting with her.
SGA Vice President Ben Mitchell then came up to describe the vacant spots on the SGA Executive Board for the rest of the academic year. The Administrative Vice President holds office hours, sends email updates, and other tasks. Representatives are needed for the classes of 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, as well as for commuters, non-traditional students, and international students. If you or anyone you know is interested in applying, contact the SGA at lyndonsga@northernvermont.edu. Students who are representatives of any campus club at these meetings cannot apply for these positions.
President Henriques presented the SGA’s spring calendar next. Budget proposals for clubs will be due April 3. The budget meetings will be done differently this year, opting for two dates instead of one. The first budget presentation date will be on April 13 from 5:30 – 8:00 PM in ASAC 319, and the second will be on April 14 from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM in ASAC 319. If you would like a copy of the calendar, email the SGA. To cap off her presentation, Kate went over a little list of expectations of the general board. These items are, while in session, to be respectful, gain a better understanding of the Rules of Order, don’t single people out, and don’t use your phone during the meetings.
SGA Financial Controller Patrick Wickstrom came up next for the financial update. The general fund available is $12,709, with the total being $35,510.17. The estimated Spring bump, an additional pool of money for the spring semester, should be $7,600, which will be added to the general fund later.
The main discussion for the meeting was about the Student Activities Account. In recap, it is an account created in 2018 during the inception of Northern Vermont University. The SGA sent out a survey to the student body to get suggestions on what to do with the money, and at this meeting, went over the results. Many ideas were considered based on the survey, with one based on investing the money and voting on a small percentage each year. In the proposal stage, one motion was to wait and research all our options involving investment before voting. Another was like the first motion, except for taking 10% of the money right now and voting on that in the next meeting. The latter option was passed with a majority vote.
In other business, Mitchell explained updates regarding Lyndon Day, which was hosted this past Friday. He showed off the layout for where tables were in the Standard Gym and answered some last-minute questions about the festivities. Henriques then went over the club contact sheet provided to each club and requested that any changes to a club’s executive board be noted and returned to the SGA. These forms would also help the SGA keep track of meeting times and places for each club, as those vary from semester to semester.
Finally, club and committee updates were done. RAs will be doing suite meetings, so keep an eye out for when your meeting might be if you are a residential student. WWLR is looking for members who will be willing to step up onto the Executive Board since most of the current board will be graduating by the end of the semester. Many other clubs shared these concerns. Rugby Club is looking to volunteer some of their time to help Maintenance, in light of concerns regarding their low staffing and sudden snowstorms. The Critic will be doing photos and writing biographies for contributors at their next meeting on February 7, so if you have written for The Critic at any point, please attend and dress nicely for your photo! The meeting concluded at 10:55 PM.
The next meeting will be on February 12th at 8:00 PM in the Moore Community Room, as always! We hope to see you there.