The SGA Beat - March 20th
Senators met in a shorter-than-normal session on Wednesday to discuss upcoming events and plan for the rest of the semester.
Announcements
“Senator Spotlight” will take place over the subsequent three sessions. This initiative will feature senators presenting about past and current projects from this semester.
Both senators and students not associated with SGA can introduce amendments to the constitution towards the end of the spring semester, to be implemented in the fall. Amendment proposals must be submitted by March 29 and require a one-week waiting period before it can be voted on. The Senate will hear proposals during the April 10 session and vote the following week. This is an opportunity for students to implement institutional change or address current problems with SGA. Students interested in proposing amendments can contact the judiciary chair at sga_judiciary@aup.edu.
The AUP World’s Fair has been moved from Friday, March 28, to Thursday, March 27, in an attempt to bolster attendance. The €5 entrance fee will cover food and drink from roughly ten countries represented at the fair.
Elections
Elections for executive positions and department representatives for the next academic year will take place in the coming weeks, thus determining the tone and direction of next year’s senate proceedings. Students who are interested in running can contact sga_elections@aup.edu.
Budgets
The Senate did not review budgets this week, as financial issues continue to pose procedural problems for club funding. They will revisit proposals next week as the reabsorption of funds continues.
SGA Survey
Kevin Fore, AUP’s Dean of Student Development, presented the Senate with the results of a recent internal anonymous survey about sentiments toward the SGA’s functioning.
The survey, which had 14 respondents from within SGA, showed that members are generally happy with their role and with SGA as a whole.
(Image Credit: Kevin Fore)
“I am very satisfied with how much the senators and execs take the job seriously and are making an effort to be involved and improve the lives of their constituents,” said one anonymous respondent when asked about their satisfaction with their role in SGA.
“I think that the SGA is very organized and professional,” said another anonymous respondent, speaking to a question about SGA’s functioning as a whole. “There seems to be a good flow of discussion during Senate meetings.”
However, not all the responses were positive. Some members of SGA said that debate tends to be ineffective and drawn out, while other matters aren’t communicated clearly.
“The actual process of sitting in Senate this year has taken years off my life,” said an anonymous senator.
Fore said the survey presented a positive overall picture of SGA’s operations and identified some clear areas for growth in the coming weeks and months.
