October
March 18th, 2011
As a part of this year’s goal for SGA, we as Co-Presidents are working to
find new ways of communication between Student Government and the student
body. One of these ways is by using President Swartzendruber’s model of
regular updates. As representatives of the student body, we want to
become a more transparent organization so that you as students know more
about some of the things SGA is working on. So here goes:
We kicked off the year with our annual SGA Fall Retreat, where we
brainstormed many ideas for the year and developed a vision for this
year’s Senate. The Senate, full of energy and creativity, generated many
great ideas that have directed our work so far.
As a way of being more intentional about hearing student ideas directly,
we organized the Idea Drive which yielded many helpful suggestions that we
either considered as a Senate or passed on to the appropriate department.
Janelle Freed and Mariah Elliott did a great job of making this drive
possible.
This year, Spirit Week featured new and exciting events, like the Water
Balloon Frenzy and S’mores on the Hill. Special thanks to Heidi Bauman,
Nels Akerson, Benjamin Bergey, Janelle and Mariah, among others.
Since SGA also provides funding to clubs, we have helped fund and support
the biannual Student Leadership Conference with Student Life, activities
for the Students for the Morally Responsible Investment of
Israel/Palestine (MRI), the annual Take Back the Night event, and events
for Res Judicata and Peace Fellowship. We are also excited to see the
energy behind the Sustainable Food Initiative, a rising student club.
Things on the horizon:
• An EMU pep band is in the making…stay tuned.
• EMU-hosted Justice Summit, facilitated by Mayor Kai Degner—Nov. 13
• Faculty forum—Nov. 16
As always, SGA is excited and open to hear what students have to say. Our
office hours are posted on the SGA office door. Feel free to stop by to
chat with a Senator, or send us an email at sga@emu.edu. Keep up to date
with SGA happenings on our website: www.emu.edu/sga, and remember that our
weekly meetings (Wednesdays at 9pm in UC 211) are open to all students.