The Student Government Association passed three bills and hosted Sedrik Newbern, Alumni Association president, as a guest speaker during its weekly meeting on Tuesday.
Newbern discussed the Alumni Association’s “Career Consultants” program, which allows students and recent graduates to connect with experienced ambassadors in their desired career fields.
The program gives students transitioning into their new careers advice and networking opportunities.
Newbern said he hoped to better promote the “Career Consultants” program through SGA and took suggestions from senators on ways they think students could better be reached about the program.
“We’re always talking about what we can do to make life for students better,” Newbern said during the meeting.
Students interested in the program can contact the Alumni Association at [email protected].
Three bills were also passed during the meeting.
Bill 5-24-F approves the allocation of $150 for the HilltopPeer program participation incentives for the month of November.
The HilltopPeers is a newly introduced program sponsored by the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Committee to help students connect based on their academic interests, professional goals and hobbies.
The bill allows spending for $10 Spencer’s vouchers for the on-campus location. The vouchers are limited to the first 15 HilltopPeers pairs, although all students are encouraged to participate.
“As the weather gets a little colder, we’re all feeling a little more depressed. We need a friend,” Megan Farmer, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee head and senior senator, said in her speech of affirmation for the bill.
“I think this is a good way for people who might not talk to people in their classes or talk to people in person to get connected and get excited about making a friend,” Farmer said.
The vouchers will be kept in the SGA office located in Downing Student Union 2081 and will require the signature of both HilltopPeer student pairs.
Bill 6-24-F approves funding for TopperChef, a one-night cooking class to explore how cooking can promote mental health and physical well-being.
The money will be used to purchase ingredients, utensils and cleaning supplies.
The event will be hosted on Thursday, Nov. 4 in the Academic Complex 2002 from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The cooking class will be limited to the first 21 students who sign up through a Microsoft form that will be posted on the official SGA Instagram and website.
Bill 7-24-F approves funding for the SGA Hill-O-Ween event. The event will feature tables from the Campus Improvements and Sustainability Committee, the Enrollment and Student Experience Committee and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for Halloween-related activities.
Registered student organizations will also be invited to table alongside SGA via email.
The event will be held Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. in Centennial Mall in front of Downing Student Union.
All bills passed unanimously.
Demani Bell, a musical theater major, was appointed as senator-at-large, and Sydney Rettig, a hospitality and tourism major, was appointed as non-traditional/transfer senator by Student Body President Sam Kurtz after he received their nominations to fill some of the empty senate seats by current SGA members.
The graduate senator and ISEC senator seats have not been filled and are open for nomination.
Additionally, four SGA senators were subjected to the Judicial Council due to excessive absences of three or more.
SGA members are required to submit an excuse for missing weekly meetings or required events according to a statement made by Chief Justice Ellen Henderson during her Judicial Council report.
“Please make sure you are committed to the organization that you are in. You guys chose to join this,” Henderson said, “Senate meetings, committee meetings, office hours, those are mandatory events. They are not optional.”
The names of the four senators subjected to the Judicial Council were not released during the meeting and will be contacted by the Judicial Council privately to set up a meeting.
News Reporter Libby Simpson can be reached at [email protected].
