SGA President John Pearce reported his schedule for the following week. Tuesday, March 7, he will meet with the QEP executive board; Wednesday, he will meet with Tommy Whitehead to discuss student media on campus; Thursday, NSU will interview candidates for the student media coordinator position, Pearce will attend the dedication ceremony of the Student Services Center to Jimmy Long, Sr. at 11 a.m. as well as the public forum on the presidential search at 1 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Pearce has plans to meet with the State Legislature to discuss funding and other issues regarding the UL System on Thursday. And on Friday, March 10, he will meet with Dean Conine’s office to discuss sexual assault and policies held by the university.
The Center for Inclusion and Diversity with SGA will host a guest speaker, Odell Bizzell, on Wednesday, March 15 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Room 107 of Russell Hall.
SGA approved appointments to the Election Board committee. The committee oversees elections for SGA and SAB, essentially to make sure the elections are fair. Senator Ragan Aple was also approved to her appointment as Sports Chairman.
Two bills will be voted on March 13, SB.SP.17-01 and SB.SP.17-02. SB.SP.17-01 proposes to reinstate a grant program and revise the guidelines so that certain funding comes out of the ORF account instead of the SGA fund.
SB.SP.17-02 proposes changes to the format of the SGA Senate. The bill reduces the number of senators from 36 to 25; Pearce said this will make positions on the senate more competitive and will ensure that hard workers are present. Aly Jacobs stated that SAB will also be putting this in place. Vice President Tre Nelson also commented that they looked at all schools in Louisiana and others in the South as a model for the proposed changes. If passed, it will take effect in March 2018.
The Senate approved a resolution (R.SP.17-02) regarding the “ongoing issue of internet connectivity.” The resolution states, “SGA requests that the University administration work with Campus Living Villages to ensure that this issue be resolved quickly and that the SGA remain updated on the status of this ongoing situation.”
The nature of the Student Concerns Page was discussed, with Pearce stating that “concerns is a very subjective word… we can talk about redefining the purpose.” Jacobs commented that it is Dr. Henderson’s wishes that it not be deleted. “It’s a way to hold people accountable… it’s annoying [sometimes] but it can be helpful,” she said.
On April 10, Pearce and the other SGA presidents will travel to Baton Rouge to open the Louisiana Legislature session and voice concerns and questions.
Pearce also spoke about the presidential search and the Search Committee that he serves on as an advising nonvoting member. Members of this committee will give their suggestions to the Board of Regents, those that eventually pick NSU’s next president from the candidates.
UL Day will be held on April 19 in Baton Rouge. University institutions are invited to attend, and NSU is planning to take students to the event. “For the first time in eight years, higher education is being taken seriously,” Pearce relayed from his meeting with Dr. Maggio.
