Student Government Association is starting off the school year with a new cabinet, and new marketing and budgeting.
SGA oversees appropriations for student groups like Greek Life and works with Student Activities Council to plan events.
The Student Senate and the Student Court are the fullest they’ve been in several years, SGA President Randy Gipson-Black said. SGA is interested in getting graduate students involved by filling the graduate/law at-large Senate seat.
“We think the best way for SGA to represent OCU is to make graduates involved because they’re such a large portion of the student body,” Gipson-Black said.
About 27% of the student body is made up of graduate and law students, according to enrollment numbers from last year.
SGA’s first action of this year is building on some of last year’s ideas.
Last year, Gipson-Black approved HB 023, which requested recycling bins to be placed in Methodist Hall.
SGA is in the process of purchasing those bins.
“That’s something that we’re excited to see happen,” Gipson-Black said.
The budget process for this academic year also has changed. Instead of having two budgets for the academic year-one for each semester-there will only be one.
There is also more of an emphasis on public relations, including a new SGA newsletter managed by Lucas Freeman, political science/history sophomore and secretary of public relations.
The newsletter will include campus events and will focus on student organizations that don’t have high publicity, Gipson-Black said.
Gipson-Black said he will focus on teaching new students about SGA and the rules behind it.
“It can be fun, but it’s important too,” Gipson-Black said.
Sen. Pierce Gordon (social sciences) said he hopes SGA is able to positively impact the campus community.
“That’s going to include fulfilling Randy’s campaign promises, expanding Blue Goes Green, helping individual constituencies, and having a good relationship with Chartwells,” Gordon said.
Blue Goes Green is the university’s commitment to make campus more ecologically friendly. There have been no Blue Goes Green events or programs in the past two years. Chartwells is the university’s new food service provider.
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