SGA urges students to participate

Candidacies and talking points are far from the only thing on the minds of members of the Student Government Association (SGA) going into this year's election. The SGA has also set the goal of changing students' perceptions about the organization and what it can do for them.

That perception has, in the SGA Election Board member Kati Henry's words, been traditionally one of distance and separation from the student body. Henry argues that not only do students fail to realize the power the SGA has to affect change in campus life, they fail to realize the level of influence they can have on the student government at UMBC.

Sophomore Ian Weedlun more or less reinforced this interpretation.

"I don't know if they've ever really branched out far," said Weedlun, though he admitted to not being very actively involved in student life on campus.

In an effort to move away from a distanced perception, the SGA is trying to focus on transparency and student involvement. Nearly all meetings, including those of the Senate, Finance Board, and Executives, are open. Henry feels it is especially important for students to sit in on Senate and Finance Board meetings, which are held on Mondays and Tuesdays, respectively, starting at 5:30 p.m.

"They want students to come and voice their views," said Henry. She added that because "student fees go to the SGA, students should be thinking if [UMBC is] the way they want [it to be]."

While students may realize that the SGA is an available option to have their voices heard, it might not always come to mind. Freshman Abigail Bratcher said that while she has not given the SGA much thought, she "would have assumed meetings are open" and views UMBC students government as "definitely approachable."

This sentiment is not limited by class. Senior April Dorsey said that she also views the SGA as "pretty open" and an organization that "pays attention to student needs."

The senate is currently working on efforts to bring its meetings to students, trying to hold them in areas that will encourage participation in a way that the second floor of the Commons does not. One idea, for example, is to have them in the dining hall or on Commons Main Street.

For those students who prefer not to leave their dorm, apartment, or house except to go to class, the Senate and Finance Board post minutes on the SGA blog. Students can access it at umbc.edu/blogs/sga/.

"Student life is fragmented," according to Stefanie Mavronis, member of the Election Board with Henry. She stressed that by putting a representative in the SGA, a lot of doors would open up to the benefit of groups that feel underrepresented.

Students, it seems, may not feel underrepresented. Dorsey was quick to say "yeah" to a question of whether she felt her needs and interests as a student were represented in student government.

The SGA's argument about its power to make changes is strong. Dr. Hrawbowski and Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Nancy Young often meet with student government leaders to give them the opportunity to relay students' concerns-concerns, argues Henry, that are not communicated to the SGA often enough.

The SGA also commands a tremendous amount of capital. Its fiscal year 2009 budget totaled $743,300. Surprised? The SGA feels that students should not be, and has published a budget breakdown in the 2008-2009 Action Guide detailing just where ever-increasing student activity fee money is going. It is just one of the many resources SGA members hope students will utilize to understand student government better.

Budget money is put to use in scores of clubs and organizations on campus. The Student Events Board alone was allocated $163,500 of the SGA's budget for FY '09, while $40,000 went to The Retriever Weekly.

SGA members are also working on other initiatives in the hopes of making student life richer. Members are currently donating funds and efforts to projects like the Retriever Rewards Program, resolution of the transcript fee problem, peer mentoring, Project Black and Gold, library hours, and gender-neutral housing. For a complete list of efforts, see the retrieverweekly.com/blog post "SGA in the works."

The SGA hopes that realization of student government's influence on the decisions the university makes will get other students interested in having their share of that authority. This year, students will vote in a president, vice president, vice president for student organizations, treasurer, 11 senators, five Finance Board representatives, and five student organization advocates. Applications are due by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 13 and a full list of requirements is available at umbc.edu/studentlife/becomealeader/sgaapp.php.

Diversity is key, and the SGA would like to get as representative a sample as possible of the UMBC student body in its membership. A quick survey of the Executive Board meeting found that of 12 members, three were commuters. The board includes men and women of different races with majors ranging from biology, bioinformatics, and biochemistry to financial economics, chemical engineering, political science, and history.

A lot of students might not realize that there is financial compensation for these positions. A total of $49,400 are paid out to SGA members, including $7,000 a year to the president for at least 15 hours a week of work, compared to the $4,000 that each vice president earns. The speaker of the senate earns $1,000 a year, the assistant speaker makes $750, and individual senators get $500. This information is also available in the 2008-2009 Action Guide.


Source: retrieverweekly.com