The Student Activity Enhancement Fee passed. Students will pay a $60 fee increase in the fall and 18 current student fees under the Student Assessed Fee will consolidate into one.
The Arts and Sciences senate election will be re-run with the runoffs due to a clerical error with one candidate’s name being left off the ballot. These elections will take place next Wednesday and results will be announced Thursday evening.
SGA president Calvin Stafford is excited about the change because he had doubts whether or not the referendum would pass.
“We have had four referendums fail,” Stafford said. “The athletics by itself, the athletics with VAPA, the indoor pool and the outdoor pool had all failed. So of course I can’t explain how excited I am. It speaks a lot about how our student body is able to look into the future and say ‘hey, we need to make the sacrifice.’ I know $60 is a big deal for some people.”
Stafford believes that this is “building a monument for the university.”
SGA adviser Laura Knotts is also glad that student groups will have a chance to get the financial help that they need.
“It’s a relief, because I’ve been here for five years and I’ve had to council all of these groups on how to fundraise so many times,” Knotts said. “And I know so many people who wanted to go to conferences and couldn’t afford it. It was really sad because it could have brought a lot of recognition. I’m just really excited for all of these groups who are going to get to do a lot more now.”
Students also voted on and passed changes to the SGA constitution. The first change to the constitution says “There will be two voting seats allotted for the two freshmen elected from each college in the fall election.”
The second change says, “Two freshmen shall be elected from each college in a fall election and be voted in by all members of their respective colleges (this including both freshmen and upperclassmen). Once a freshman senator is elected, he or she will be awarded the same rights of a voting senator.”
Because Christina Gray is in a runoff, Kevin Carroll’s status could change to voting if she wins. If not, Carroll will be an associate senator and Gray will be a voting senator.
Because Chelsea Wyatt is in a runoff, Lindsey Dartlon’s status is uncertain. If Wyatt wins her election, Dartlon will be a voting senator. Another candidate from Education and Human Development will be pulled up to associate. If Wyatt does not win, she will be a voting senator and Dartlon will be an associate senator.
Because Raven Gros and Adrian LeJeune are both in runoffs, the other two Pharmacy voting senators and the two associate senators are undetermined as of now.
All Pharmacy candidates should check after runoff announcements to see who will be a voting senator and who will be an associate senator.
