Student Government Association members are moving forward with a green initiative and looking for students to fill vacant Senate seats.
Members of the executive board gave students an update about what they’ve accomplished and talked about upcoming events Friday at the State of the Students address and Q&A session in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center.
Going blue
SGA President Randy Gipson-Black discussed the Blue Initiative, a three-part plan to make the campus more environmentally-friendly. The recycling bin pilot program in Oklahoma United Methodist Hall is the first part of the plan.
“After rewriting and passing the bill last spring to ensure its longevity, we were able to get the bins ordered in the fall,” Gipson-Black said. “This pilot program has been initiated in Methodist Hall and will include two federal work study positions that will be in charge of just basically carting the recycled materials down to the paper and cardboard dumpster.”
A survey will be distributed to students at the end of the semester to gauge the program’s popularity, Gipson-Black said.
“That feedback and the data that facilities gives us on how much we recycle will be the determining factors in whether or not we decide to expand this program,” he said.
The second part of the plan is to install more water bottle filler attachments to water fountains in residential halls and academic buildings. Gipson-Black said SGA members are waiting to hear back from facilities on when they can install the filters.
“The final part of the Blue Initiative is for SGA to partner with the campus store and order water bottles to hand out to a number of students,” he said. “The goal of this purchase is to entice the student body to use them with the water bottle fillers to avoid purchasing and throwing away bottled water.”
Hallie Schmidt, vocal performance sophomore, said she was glad to hear about the various parts of the plan.
“I think that is incredible and a huge step forward in our efforts to be a sustainable campus,” Schmidt said. “I hope the recycling bins can be extended to Cokes, as well.”
Representing students
Austin Gipson-Black, SGA vice president and Senate president, said there are seven vacant seats in Senate. There are two senior at large, two law student and two graduate student seats open, as well as a social sciences seat.
The most important role of senators is being a direct representative of the student body, Austin said.
“We understand that these are your tuition fee dollars that we work with. We always want to be sure we are using them for your best interest. We want to make sure you guys are getting the most benefit out of the things that we do,” he said.
Austin said he’s excited for the semester.
“Senate really looks forward to working with the executive branch in order to pass resolutions pertaining to the OCU strategic plan,” he said.
Planning events
Monica Hiller, Student Activities Council vice president, said she plans to form the Homecoming committee this semester. The committee is in charge of organizing and planning the various Homecoming events.
“Anyone who wants to be on the Homecoming committee can be,” Hiller said. “We will be sending out those forms in the next few weeks.”
Hiller said anyone interested in SAC in general can attend their meetings at 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays in the Great Hall. She said SAC, which plans events like Free Movie Night, is all about making college more enjoyable.
“We find the fun things that make your college experience the best that it can be,” she said. “When you look back on college in 15 or 20 years, I want you to think fondly of the things that you did here. SAC gets to be a part of that, and I’m so grateful.”
Hiller said the event she’s most excited for is a visit from Daniel Franzese, the actor who portrayed“Damien” in Mean Girls. Franzese will do some stand-up comedy and host a Q&A session at 8 p.m. March 28 in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center.
Moving forward
Randy said they received reassuring feedback from the 336 students who filled out a survey about SGA.
“We were able to take those results and deduce that we, as SGA, need to improve on making the student body aware of the services that SGA can offer them both on a personal level as well as on an organizational level,” he said.
Randy said they will attempt to advertise their services through things like flyers, announcements and a stronger presence at activities fairs and Stars Week.
“I’m very eager and hopeful of the coming months because I know the type of leadership that is within SGA, which is the type that is geared toward not only collaborating to create innovative policies and exciting events, but it also knows the importance of following through with those initiatives,” he said.
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