SGA Needs Your Voice
Written by Stevie Loop
Columbia’s Student Government Association (SGA) is currently seeking to fill open membership seats comprised of departmental and at-large senators for the Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 semesters. The SGA is an organization that serves to represent Columbia’s student voice and acts as a liaison between students and faculty, staff and administration.
The SGA is comprised of representatives from each academic department as well as at-large senators who represent the general student body. The SGA also operates three committees in order to address the diverse needs of the student body.
Recently, the SGA was able to pass legislation that allowed a 10-day extension for the UPASS. “Through forums and relationships with department chairs, we want to find out what students want and how to use our funds to enhance the educational experience of the student body,” says SGA President Cassie Norris.
Joining the SGA is an opportunity to not only serve in an important leadership role at Columbia, it also provides opportunities to grow academically, artistically, professionally and personally. By garnering partnerships with academic chairs, Norris hopes to create a sustainable student government with strong relationships in each academic department.
“This year’s goal for the SGA is to have a full membership,” says Norris. “We want to have a wide membership from all departments so that we can turn over these relationships each year and continue to strengthen them.”
Other goals of the SGA include keeping students informed with prioritization, increasing student discount opportunities and a push for statewide textbook initiatives.
But Norris says that the student government needs to increase its involvement in order to accomplish these goals and to continue striving to meet the needs of the student body. “We want to be a resource for students and we want them to know what’s going on,” says Norris. “The more students are involved, the more we can do our jobs as the SGA.”
The SGA meets weekly every Tuesday at 5pm in the Loft | 916 S. Wabash Ave., 4th floor. To join the SGA, visit colum.edu/sga for an application.
