8/20 Senate Meeting Recap

To kick off the new academic school year, the student body senate held their very first meeting. Senate President and student body Vice President Tyler Rice called this meeting to order as he, Brittany Hume-Dawson, College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (C-STEM), and Senator-at-Large Trentqual Rhone voted to approve seven new senators: Destinee Whittington; College of Liberal Arts and Social Science (CLASS), Aerial Lark Ingram; College of Political Science, Brea Williams; Gem Richardson, C-STEM, Najah Buck; CLASS, Jaylan Brown; College of Business Administration and Janet Lagah’Bona, College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Prior to being voted into the Senate, each student was asked a variety of questions, by Rice, Rhone, and Hume-Dawson; these questions covered legislative branch knowledge, bill ideas, what they plan to do for their designated college, and past Student Government Association (SGA) experience. For many, this is their first time being apart of SGA.

“This is my first time in the Senate, but I’m open to all [bill] suggestions that anyone has,” said Whittington telling the senators explaining why she did not have any bill ideas for the upcoming semester.

Senator Buck explained, “My job as a Senator is to represent and support the views of my constituents through senatorial legislation and to maintain active involvement in my college in order to best understand the needs of its students.”

Several of the new senators’ top priorities coincide with what being a senator requires. Senator Brown says her top priority is to “meet with my fellow peers in COBA to gain knowledge on the concerns they may have.”

As for Richardson her top priority is “... to connect students of C-STEM with professors and fellow students to build a community.”

Buck explained rather than focusing on one priority, she has three; “ First, I would like to create initiatives that bring about unity within the college … second, I would like to raise awareness about the degree programs that the college’s departments offer and third, I would like to bridge the gap between our college’s online/off-campus students and its on-campus resources.”

Both Chief Justice, Joshua Wilkinson and Associate Justice, Carah Walton swore the senators in under the oath of office.

There is not a designated time that weekly meetings will be held, but all meetings will be open to the public as Rice urges students to attend.