|
Absenteeism plagues Student
Government Association
By Carly
Hawkins
Because Stuebe probably wouldn’t let me write about sports, I’m
not involved with that esteemed weekly decision made by the UIS
Sportswriters’ and Broadcasters’ Association about the Prairie
Star of the Week.
However, after the SGA excursion
to Peoria on November 21, I feel that I should hand out an award
of some kind. So, on what could very well be a one-time
occasion, I’d like to give a newsprint high five to the SGA
treasurer, Jason Kennedy.
It takes nine members for SGA to
hold an official meeting. With 15 of 17 slots actually filled at
the moment, you wouldn’t think that getting 60 percent of the
board there would present such a problem. After all, these are
people who volunteered for it whether they were elected or
appointed, right? While I, believe me, know how monotonous an
SGA meeting can be, surely these students understood when they
signed up that it couldn’t all be glitz and glamour skeeball
tournaments (Oops – I meant “team building”).
So it was baffling to me that
when the appointed departure time rolled around on November 21,
the executive board came to realize that they weren’t going to
have quorum for a meeting held all the way in Peoria. President
Tyson Roan related that several people had called in late,
excusing themselves from attending because they were sick or had
a lot of schoolwork to do.
Jason Kennedy was one of those
people. On the receiving end of some shady sushi, Kennedy woke
up that Sunday morning fairly sure that he had food poisoning.
But when the board was unable to get anyone else on the phone
and the situation was related to the treasurer, he said, “give
me 15 minutes,” and was climbing in to the van with the rest of
us, possible case of food poisoning and all.
Absenteeism in Student
Government Association is not unusual. I understand that things
come up – family obligations, for instance, and sometimes you
really are just too sick. A few of the members of this year’s
board are athletes and may have games. I understand that we are
all “students first.” However, the importance of SGA should not
be overlooked, and neither should an individual’s role in it.
Because of its importance, SGA
is governed by rules that mandate that a majority of members be
present in order for them to conduct business – whether it’s
replacing a donated blender that exploded during Casino Night or
whether it’s approving a new fee for students. The members of
SGA should not simply assume that everyone else will show up, so
their own presence is not necessary.
My original plan for this column
was to call out those who have missed two or more meetings this
semester in the hopes of shaming people in to attending. I’ve
decided against it, partly because I’m sure they know who they
are and hopefully they’ll take this to heart, and also because
SGA appears ready to take up the issue at their next meeting and
discuss possible removals or reprimands at that time.
SGA is not Congress, to be sure.
The decisions they make may not seem earth-shattering. But that
makes it no less important. SGA should be and can be more than a
line on a resume, and it is up to the members to do that. There
are 16 of you representing thousands of us. The least you can do
is say “present” at the beginning of each meeting. Take
Kennedy’s example.
So, once again, high five
Kennedy! But now I’m going to go wash my hands in case whatever
you had is contagious.
Halfway through: SGA fulfills
promises, plans initiatives for next semester
Guest
Commentary by Tyson Roan
Halfway through the
academic year, I am happy to report that the Student Government
Association is well on its way in fulfilling all that it
promised early in the term. In the realm of student fees,
housing, and in regards to internal issues, the members of your
SGA have well and faithfully upheld the offices to which you
selected them, and plan to continue on that road for the rest of
the year.
At our premier meeting,
the SGA advocated to keep student fees at UIS among the lowest
in the state, which resulted in a savings for the Student Body
of approximately $22,500 under what the administration
advised.
In regards to Housing, an
SGA resolution urged UIS Housing to grant student activities fee
scholarships to Lincoln Land Community College students living
in campus housing to offset the cost of their participation in
Student Life events. Further, the government, on the
recommendation of the Utilities Committee that worked diligently
to find an equitable solution to the utilities dilemma, issued
another resolution in conjunction with HRC encouraging Housing
to lower the utilities fees in Larkspur and Bluebell courts by
$15 per resident per month over the course of next semester.
Internally, the Student
Government Association worked to grant needed compensation to
the executive officers who work hard to represent you. Under
the premise that payment for executive officers would keep their
focuses on SGA and off of a side job, the government was able to
secure the funds for payment to executive officers without one
dime coming out of the monies that were allocated to the SGA at
the beginning of the academic year. A gracious donation by Dr.
Miller and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
made this initiative possible.
Also, in elections and
appointments early in the year, the government expanded its
ranks to include constituencies not otherwise represented on the
government. Through the appointment process, we were able to
secure minority students, international students, commuter
students, and graduate and transfer students, further adding to
the multitude of perspectives necessary for good, representative
government.
Other than issues that
fit neatly into those three categories, one of the most
successful initiatives of this government was to facilitate a
meeting between SGA executive committee members, campus
administration, and Peoria Center students. Additionally, after
the decline this semester in enrollment among continuing
students, the student government gave serious consideration in
making recommendations to admissions and registration in regards
to how to improve the Banner system and the entire process of
enrolling students.
Charged with all that we
have accomplished, the SGA stands ready to tackle developing
issues next semester, including making recommendations on Greek
life, creating badly needed bylaws for the recently ratified
Constitution, reforming the process for divulging student fees,
taking an active part in the safety audit, and helping bring new
first year students onto campus in a light most beneficial to
everyone here at UIS.
In other initiatives, in
conjunction with Housing, SAC, Student Life and Student Affairs,
the SGA hopes to begin offering the New York Times to students
free of charge promptly at the beginning of next semester, and
in the boldest initiative in recent years, the SGA will begin
work next semester on gathering student government members from
public colleges and universities around the state to lobby the
statehouse for our collective interests.
I am not allowed the
space in this article to thank everyone who has had such an
integral part in the successes of this government. To all of
the students who have served on committees, who have served on
the government, and who have brought issues forth, this
government thanks you. To the faculty and the campus senate for
working in cooperative effort with us, this government thanks
you. To the administration, who has been supportive of our
initiatives and open to our concerns, this government thanks
you.
For this opportunity to
serve, I personally thank you, and very much look forward to
working hard to promote our collective interests for the
remainder of the academic year.
Tyson Roan
President
Student Government Association
University of Illinois at Springfield
Letter to the Editor
Need a Book? Library Staff Says Fend For Yourself
In
response to a recent attack on the third floor of Brookens
Library, Jane Treadwell, the Dean of Library Instructional
Services, told The Journal that it is in the best
interests of students at this university not to study on the
third and fourth levels of the library alone. She also suggests
we brush up on our self-defense and street smarts if we choose
to utilize the designated “studying areas.”
This response to security concerns is utterly appalling. As
students, we have a contract with this university. In return
for the nice sum we pay to attend this school, it is the
administration’s responsibility to provide a safe environment
for us to learn and study.
In
addition to being the most dark and barren parts of the library,
the third and fourth floors house all of the research materials
available to students. I find the idea that we would be safest
not to utilize these resources unacceptable.
The library is rightfully open until midnight most nights, as
students often find themselves there late into the evening. I
cannot comprehend how we can be told that we have full access to
its resources, but only during the daytime or with a friend or
if we have a good handle on self-defense. This is inexcusable.
If
I had been informed that it would be my responsibility to fend
for myself at any location on this campus, let alone the
library, I would have scoffed and turned away without a second
glance.
Unfortunately, with graduation on the horizon and my money in
the pockets of UIS, all I can do is say “shame.” And tell any
prospective students that they would have as much protection on
the third and fourth floors of Brookens Library as they would on
an unlit corner in the city.
This doesn’t sound like an attribute of “one of the best
small public liberal arts universities in the midwest or the
nation” to me. But then again, let’s put it in the recruitment
brochure and see how it works out.
Christine Zeivel
Undergrad Senior |
