On Wednesday, September 18th, the Lyndon SGA held another meeting for the Club Council. This meeting was straightforward and to the point, but still touched on a couple important topics for the student body.
To begin the meeting during the student body comments, Secretary of Campus Activities Annie Walker brought forward the issue of funding for the Gravity Well to the Club Council. Previously, the 10% Committee paid the wages for specially trained students to operate the Gravity Well, the campus rock climbing wall. However, due to the disbanding of the 10% Committee, that funding to pay employees has now disappeared, leaving only students who can dedicate unpaid time to keep the Well open on a very limited and inconsistent schedule. The Gravity Well will be transitioning to a work-study only position for the time being.
Understandably, this raised concerns due to the necessary certifications needed to operate the Well being hard to come by, and not something that students can get on campus. Students who have those certifications may not be eligible for any work-study positions as well. The feasibility of adding direct hire positions is currently being discussed.
During the meeting, SGA President Alley Morton announced her appointment for the new Chief Justice role, AMS President Andy McKeen. Chief Justice McKeen’s role is to act as the leader in charge of the new “student court” system, as well as overseeing SGA meetings to ensure that meetings and other SGA matters follow both the constitution and the by-laws. Chief Justice McKeen may also appoint a Deputy Justice, Clerk of the Court, and a Court Justice.
“I have been attending SGA meetings for 3 years now, and I have grown to really enjoy the process. Last semester during elections I was asked to run for a position on the SGA board, and although I was somewhat interested, I had a lot on my plate senior year and declined to run. Fast-forward to a couple of weeks ago, I was approached by the Lyndon SGA President, Alley Morton, and she offered me the role of Chief Justice. I had the same concerns about being able to manage the responsibilities of the position along with my dozen other commitments, especially my senior year academics. After reading through the constitution and proposed by-laws, Alley was able to convince me that I still had time in my schedule to take on the role of Chief Justice. I am excited to be working with the Lyndon SGA Congress for this academic year, and to have the opportunity to fill a role I have admired for years.” – Andy McKeen
Student Elections are currently underway to fill the remaining empty positions on the SGA Congress, excluding those who are appointed. Ballots are available both in the new SGA Office and online through student emails. The Financial Board is also looking for one student with no affiliations to SGA to sit on the board alongside up to 4 delegates with SGA affiliations. Until the financial board is formed, clubs are not able to spend or request any funds.